


Kittens Bring People Together

by Vai_should_be_quiet



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-01-10 17:10:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12303720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vai_should_be_quiet/pseuds/Vai_should_be_quiet
Summary: A kitten helps Daehyun's confidence to finally approach his seemingly intimidating crush.





	1. Part 1

Bang Yongguk was stunningly handsome.

After a careful evaluation, Daehyun had decided that "stunning" was the perfect word to describe him.

There were two aspects to Yongguk's popularity. First, his Instagram profile. He was the type of person who posted pictures twice a month at best, pictures with no captions and more often than not a black and white filter. His posts were somehow considered to be the very definition of art and would be talked about until he posted again.

The second aspect was his image in real life. He lived up to the expectations of his aesthetically pleasing Instagram profile. Not only did he look amazing at all times, he also gave off a mysterious vibe. Stunning, as Daehyun had decided.

And he wasn't the only one who thought so, in fact he found himself quite lonely in the sea of girls who were just as captivated as he was.

That was only because the guys weren't so open about the fact that they too found Bang Yongguk insanely attractive.

Except for Daehyun's best friend, Jongup. He had no problem saying, "So beautiful," every time Yongguk would happen to walk by. On the other hand Daehyun had problems with that, since each time it happened he would experience a minor heart attack.

Daehyun was perfectly content with just admiring from afar. His spot at the back of the class was ideal for that (some would call it staring, but Daehyun found that to be a very harsh word). Seeing that Yongguk was often distant during class, looking to the side, Daehyun had a perfect view of his profile.

And he didn't need Jongup to ruin it all for him by running his mouth.

Jongup didn't understand that point of view at all. He made sure to voice his opinion over and over again.

"Why don't you just talk to him?"

Daehyun rolled his eyes. "You're either stupid or you don't know me."

"I don't see why not. He's not the type who hides behind a group of friends, he's quite approachable."

"Approachable? Him?" Daehyun huffed. "It's easy for you to say, you're one half of the couple which everyone on campus considers 'relationship goals'."

"That's not true," Jongup protested, but a self satisfied smile was tugging at his lips.

"Whatever. I'm content with the way things are. I don't need to talk to anyone, I'd rather just focus on my studies and—"

Jongup hit Daehyun on the head with a pen. "Right, but you aren't exactly focusing on your studies. You spend most of our classes and breaks staring longingly and sighing. That's not what focusing looks like, unless you're taking a class called Bang Yongguk."

Daehyun felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He smacked Jongup's shoulder, only making the other chuckle.

"Shut it. And how exactly is talking to him supposed to help? That will only make me think about him more."

Jongup twisted his pen, thinking about it for a moment. "It doesn't hurt to try."

"Getting rejected hurts," Daehyun muttered, leaning over his notebook to continue scribbling on the margins.

"Suit yourself." Jongup shrugged. That meant that Daehyun had won that round, but Jongup wasn't going to just give up.

As the class dragged on, Daehyun's gaze found its way back to Yongguk. He was sitting alone as always, having comfortably raised his legs on the chair beside him. He was writing something in his notebook, although Daehyun doubted it was notes about world's literature. His dark hair fell over his face, hiding his eyes. For a moment Yongguk stopped writing to tuck his hair behind his ear.

Daehyun sighed. Jongup nudged him. Daehyun returned it. It went on for a little while, until they finally attracted some attention.

Whose?

Yongguk looked up from his notebook, giving the two of them an unreadable look.

They momentarily froze. Jongup slightly sank in his seat, giving Daehyun the chance to react. He did the most logical thing – he smiled. And then Yongguk smiled right back. After that he returned his gaze to his notebook.

Daehyun let his head fall, pressing his forehead on the desk. He felt like he would never recover from the smile he had received from Bang Yongguk.

* * *

On one hand, Daehyun had a problem with procrastination. On the other hand, he also worked best under pressure.

That was why he had found himself in the library, four hours before closing time, working on an assignment that was due the day after.

When the four hours were up, Daehyun could proudly say that he had managed to finish his assignment and he walked out of the library with a smile on his face.

He stopped to plug in his headphones, but froze when he spotted none other than Bang Yongguk.

He was sitting on the ground, petting a kitten. His bag was left by his side, suggesting that he'd been there for a while.

Daehyun needed a moment to process what he was seeing.

Because before him wasn't the mysterious, intimidating loner Bang Yongguk. Before him was a simple cat lover with the brightest smile Daehyun had ever seen. He had never seen Yongguk smile like that – or at all for that matter.

But it wasn't meant to be, since Yongguk eventually had to notice that he was being looked at. He glanced up and, as if he had been caught doing something extremely embarrassing, he blushed.

Daehyun had to fight the overwhelming urge to put in his earphones and flee. But he knew that if had fled, he never would have forgiven himself. So he gathered his guts and walked over.

"Hey," he said with a friendly smile.

Yongguk waved, holding the kitten in his other hand.

Daehyun knelt beside Yongguk and reached out, but the kitten hissed and became restless.

Yongguk drew her closer to his chest, hushing her softly.

Daehyun found himself amidst a war between disappointment of being rejected by a kitten, and amazement at how gentle Yongguk was being.

"Don't take it to heart," he told Daehyun. "She was hurt when I first found her, it took her a few days to let me touch her."

Daehyun raised his eyebrows. "A couple of days? You mean... For days you've sat in front of the library just to earn a kitten's trust?"

Yongguk's smile faded and he looked down. "I guess I did..."

"I'm not even going to pretend that's not amazing," Daehyun said.

The other lifted his gaze. "I'd do anything for a kitten," he admitted.

"I would too."

Yongguk cracked a smile. "I don't think we've officially met. I'm Bang Yongguk. I'd shake your hand, but mine are full."

Daehyun needed a moment to stop his heart from bursting. "I'm... Jung Daehyun."

Yongguk nodded. "Jongup's friend, right?"

Daehyun wasn't surprised, but he had to admit that he was a bit disappointed that he would forever be known as a popular guy's friend.

"You know Jongup," he said, not as a question but as a flat assumption.

And Daehyun wasn't even mad, he was happy to have someone like Jongup as a best friend and he was especially glad that he had managed to be the one to snatch him as a roommate.

He was just a bit bitter that his crush knew him as Jongup's moon.

Or at least that was the conclusion Daehyun had jumped into.

"I don't, but I know his boyfriend," Yongguk said.

"You do?"

"He's my best friend." As he petted her head, the kitten started purring. Yongguk pouted in thought. "Weird that we've never met. I've heard so much about you without even knowing who you are."

"Now I'm curious to know what you've heard about me," Daehyun said curiously.

"Nothing bad," Yongguk reassured, "Just... Himchan whines a lot, he says that he wants to share a room with Jongup."

"So I'm in the way of their love," Daehyun said with a nod.

That made Yongguk chuckle. Daehyun smiled, feeling proud of himself for making the person everyone viewed as intimidating laugh.

In fact that was the moment when Daehyun fully realized that it had been silly of him to ever consider Bang Yongguk intimidating.

"If you're in the way of their love then so am I! And apparently I'm not a good enough roommate for Himchan."

Daehyun grinned. "I'm sure you are. But we should let them hook up sometime... You can come over and Jongup can go to his beloved."

"That's not a bad idea at all." Yongguk scrunched up his nose. "But we'll have to discuss whose room is getting demolished."

Daehyun playfully punched his arm. They both laughed. Then a silence occurred. A comfortable one, during which Yongguk gave all his attention to the kitten and Daehyun gave all his attention to him.

"I don't want to leave her," Yongguk said, breaking the silence.

"Then don't," Daehyun said. "Take her with you."

Yongguk pouted sadly. "No animals allowed, remember?"

"Right." Daehyun sunk slightly, he had forgotten for a moment that they were in the same dorm. "Then sneak her in."

Yongguk hesitated. "You think that would work? And to keep her hidden the whole time?"

"Can you take her home?" Daehyun asked.

Yongguk thought for a second. "Yeah... I suppose."

"Then you only have to keep her hidden until the next time you go home. I'll even help you!" Daehyun stood up. "Let's do it."

Yongguk stood up with a little difficulty as his hands were occupied. Then he frowned when he realized that his bag was still on the ground. Daehyun picked it up for him.

"We can put her in my backpack to get her in the dorm," Daehyun suggested as they started walking.

"Thank you. Really, thank you."

"Any time," Daehyun said and smiled. Yongguk smiled back.

The mission was ridiculously serious. They stopped a street away from the dorm to stuff the kitten in Daehyun's backpack. They decided to take out his notes and notebooks to avoid squishing her and to put Yongguk's hoodie in for further kitten safety. Yongguk took his bag from Daehyun and carried the stuff they'd taken out of the backpack. Then it was smuggling time.

Despite the fact that the halls were mostly empty, the two of them flinched at every sound, getting a bit closer every time they heard anything. As they got closer to Yongguk's room, he grabbed Daehyun's hand and pulled him in, dramatically closing the door. They both started to laugh.

Daehyun carefully took his backpack off and opened it. The kitten was slightly restless, so Yongguk picked her up to soothe her. He was still chuckling and so was Daehyun.

"We've just smuggled a kitten," he said, shaking his head.

"We did!"

Daehyun sighed, glad to see Yongguk so happy. The complete opposite of how gloomy, borderline sad he always looked during their lessons.

"I'm sure you'll take good care of her... I should probably go now," Daehyun said. He was overwhelmed by everything that had happened so far and he needed some time to let it all settle and tell Jongup all about it.

"You can stay a little if you want," Yongguk suggested.

Daehyun shook his head. "I really do have to go, but thank you." He wen to pick up his stuff from where Yongguk had left them. Even though he wasn't, the excitement he'd been bottling up made it seem like Daehyun was in a hurry. Because of that Yongguk gave up on trying to make him stay.

"Well, then make sure to stay in touch."

"You bet," Daehyun said, stepping back.

"See you tomorrow." Since the kitten had climbed on Yongguk's shoulder, he had a free hand to weave.

Daehyunwaved back and went out. When he put some distance between himself andYongguk's room, he looked around to make sure he was alone, and jumped up in celebration.


	2. Part 2

“Don’t say it,” Daehyun begged.

“You know I have to,” Jongup hummed.

Daehyun rolled his eyes and buried his head in a pillow. “Alright then! Say it and be done with it…”

Jongup smiled and hit Daehyun with his own pillow. _“I told you so.”_

Daehyun whined in protest. “Come on… There were many convenient circumstances I had no control over. I only had to start the conversation.”

“Considering that you didn’t even want to do that much, I’m proud of you.”

Daehyun couldn’t help but smile at that. He covered his face, sighing happily. Then he felt Jongup poking his side.

“I hope you won’t just let this be. You actually have a shot here.”

Daehyun huffed and sat up. “A shot at what exactly? I’m not some charmer, Jongup. I’m not about to flirt with him until he falls in love with me. I can barely get my heart under control when I’m around him…”

Jongup sighed and threw the pillow at Daehyun, who managed to catch it.

“You just don’t believe in yourself.”

Daehyun rolled his eyes. “That’s the cheesiest thing you could have said.” He shook the pillows off of himself and reached for his backpack. He hadn’t got the chance to unpack since when he had run into their room, he immediately jumped onto Jongup’s bed, snatched his book to get his attention and started blabbering.

“But it’s true,” Jongup said.

Daehyun just gave him a look instead of answering. As he was taking his things out, Daehyun came across a stray hoodie, something that definitely wasn’t his. It was plain grey with the kanji for Tokyo at the front. Daehyun stared at it, trying to figure out whose it was and how it had got in his backpack.

Then it hit him, and he suddenly started slapping Jongup’s arm.

“Woah, okay, what is it? Why not use words for communication?”

“ _It’s his hoodie!_ ” Daehyun held it up in front of Jongup’s face for emphasis.

Jongup gave Daehyun a questioning look.

“We – oh gosh – we put his hoodie in the backpack to secure the kitten, I completely forgot!”

“So did he, apparently,” Jongup noted.

Daehyun was glowing. He held the hoodie against his chest and measured the sleeves. The size difference almost made him laugh.  Then he folded it neatly and put it along with Jongup’s clothes.

“Hey, put it with your stuff!”

“Mine are messy and nothing can happen to this hoodie. Please? Just keep it safe until tomorrow.” Daehyun made the best puppy eyes he could manage, complete with a pout and hands clasped together in plea.

Jongup rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

Daehyun grinned and tackled him into a hug. “Thank you, Uppie!”

Jongup whined, trying to throw the other off. “I wonder how much I’ll suffer because of your crush…”

* * *

Jongup’s gaze had drifted off out the window. He was leaning comfortably against Himchan, making it a bit difficult for the other to take notes. It was raining heavily, the grey clouds made it seem like the sky was about to crumble.

Jongup hated such weather, it made it hard to get out of bed, let alone function throughout the day. On the other hand, Himchan seemed a lot more enthusiastic about life in autumn. Whenever it rained, he would suddenly get in the mood to cuddle – unless they were in class – or to make tea and build blanket forts. It wasn’t a rare occurrence for him to just show up at Jongup’s door to take him on a spontaneous date. Jongup was, of course, never in the mood for such a thing, but Himchan was persuasive.

Classes were dreadful on rainy days; cuddled up against Himchan at the back of the class, playing with his hair and very often wearing one of his stolen sweaters, Jongup could only think about all the naps he would take once he was done for the day and the struggled to stay awake was insufferable.

At the moment, however, something else was on his mind. He sat up in his seat, releasing Himchan of his weight. Jongup poked his cheek.

“Chanie?”

He didn’t react, only raised his eyebrows to indicate that he was listening.

“How has the name of your best friend never come up in a conversation?”

This made Himchan pause to think about it. Eventually he shrugged, continuing to write. “I usually refer to him as ‘idiot’ or similar.”

The next question was lost somewhere along the way as a new one crossed Jongup’s mind. “Oh really? What do you refer to me as?”

Himchan didn’t even look at him. “That’s not the topic. Why are you asking about my best friend?”

“This isn’t over,” Jongup announced. Although he still didn’t react, Himchan’s cheeks were dusted pink.

“You won’t believe it,” Jongup then said, changing the subject.

“Maybe I will if you tell me.”

Jongup leaned forward, snatching Himchan’s pen to get his full attention. “Get this – my best friend has a crush on your best friend.”

Himchan leaned back, giving Jongup a concerned look. “Oh, boy. That won’t be good.”

Jongup frowned, tapping Himchan’s pen against the desk. “Why do you think so?”

“They are both... What’s the word…. Huge dorks.”

Jongup couldn't argue with that. He nodded in agreement. “They are, but what if I told you that they actually managed to kick off?”

“You're joking,” Himchan said in disbelief.

Jongup shook his head. “Didn't Yongguk tell you about the kitten he smuggled in yesterday?”

“No, he was knocked out when I got back.” He frowned. “I was pretty confused when I saw it, though.”

“Well, Daehyun helped him smuggle it. That's how they met.”

Himchan nodded, then sighed in relief. “So we won't have to play the game of matchmakers?”

Jongup started clicking the pen and Himchan had to take it from him to make him stop.

“Not sure…” Jongup said, biting his lip. “They started talking, but will they be too clumsy to start dating?”

“We should give them time to figure it out.” Now Himchan was the one fidgeting with the pen, but at least he wasn't clicking it. “For all we know Yongguk might not like Daehyun like that.”

Jongup knew that he had a point, but his protectiveness over Daehyun made him glare at Himchan.

“I didn't mean— Well, they only met yesterday, right? I'm sure that Daehyun is amazing, but sometimes it just  doesn't click. We have to let it unfold.”

Jongup wasn't pleased with that, even though he knew it was true. He said nothing for a moment.

“I want it to work,” Himchan said. He had put the pen down, playing with Jongup's hand instead. “Yongguk could use someone like Daehyun right now. He could use anyone, really… But even though I don't know him well, I can tell that Daehyun is someone good to be around.”

“He really is... You're right,” he admitted.

“But if they end up liking each other and not wanting to admit it or taking too long, we’ll interfere,” Himchan added.

That solution was satisfying enough. Jongup smiled, leaning against Himchan again.

He let out an exasperated sigh, but didn’t make Jongup move.

When the class ended, Himchan and Jongup were approached by Daehyun, likely because the next class was his turn to sit with Jongup.

Daehyun was bouncing. He had an uncertain smile on his lips and he was holding something against his chest – Yongguk’s hoodie, Jongup realized.

“Hey, Uppie…”

“You need something,” Jongup stated. He felt like he wouldn’t like it.

Himchan observed with a knowing smile on his face and his hand around Jongup’s waist.

“Yeah, well, I need a tiny favour,” Daehyun admitted.

Jongup raised his eyebrows. “Of course you do. Speak.”

“Can we not sit together the next class?” He said it all in one breath. Then he bit his lip, anticipating the answer.

Himchan and Jongup exchanged surprised looks. Ever since they started dating, they had had to share Jongup as a sitting buddy. It wasn’t a problem for Himchan, but Daehyun usually found it hard to find someone else to sit with.

“You don’t want to sit with me? As in, you’ve found someone else to sit with?” But even before he got the sentence out, Jongup had realized what was going on.

“You’re acting like I have no friends!” Daehyun complained.

“You don’t,” Jongup said flatly. Before Daehyun had the chance to get even more offended, Jongup continued. “Of course it’s okay to not-sit with me!”

“Tell Yongguk I said hi,” Himchan added.

Daehyun opened his mouth to answer, as his ears reddened. But he gave up on replying, shook his head and walked away. As Himchan and Jongup giggled, Daehyun skipped towards the door.

Himchan groaned, ruffling his hair. “Ah, I’m conflicted now! Do I ditch you or Youngjae?”

Jongup wrapped his arms around Himchan’s waist, resting his chin on the other’s shoulder. “You’re not ditching me. You’ll have to apologize to Youngjae.”

Himchan rolled his eyes. “Aish…”

* * *

Approaching Yongguk proved to be a lot more difficult than Daehyun had anticipated. He was reminded of why he had been too scared to talk to him in the first place.

Because it was easier to do so when Yongguk was alone and vulnerable, as opposed to when he was sitting in the lecture hall, holding the attention of everyone in his close proximity.

Yongguk probably wasn't even aware of the girls and a couple of guys stealing glances his way and whispering amongst themselves.

He was completely focused on the notebook which was balanced on his knees as he wrote hastily in it.

Daehyun knew that he couldn't just stand there for too long, but he hesitated. The knowledge that he would catch the attention of Yongguk’s admirers if he approached was the reason anxiety settled in his gut.

He once again had to choose between fleeing and making a move. He swallowed and stepped forward, having chosen the latter.

“Hey,” he said, his voice coming out weak and unsure. He cleared his throat.

For a split second Yongguk panicked, shutting his notebook. But the smile he gave Daehyun was nothing but sincere.

“Daehyun! What's up?”

Daehyun shrugged. “Nothing much... Uh, you forgot your hoodie in my backpack,” he said as he handed it to Yongguk.

“Right, I was going to ask you about it, but then I realized I haven't got your number, not even your instagram username,” he rambled as he stuffed the hoodie in his bag. He sounded a bit apologetic.

“That's fine, I can…” Daehyun trailed off since there was a more important thing on his mind. “Can I sit with you?” He asked hesitantly.

Yongguk nodded, offering a bright smile. “Of course!”

That made Daehyun sigh quietly in relief. Yongguk removed his feet from the chair to let Daehyun sit.

He took out his phone and went to his instagram profile, then he turned the screen towards Yongguk. “That’s me.”

Yongguk took a look and soon Daehyun got the notification that Yongguk had followed him.

Finally.

Daehyun had been through Yongguk’s ‘following’ list so many times that he’d learned it by heart. It was three people: Himchan, Jongup and some guy Zelo.

In times when Daehyun’s imagination would wonder off, he’d think about his username being added to the very short list. And it finally happened. He had to stop himself from smiling.

“So… How’s the kitten?”

Yongguk perked up at the mention of the kitten. “Oh, she’s doing well! She’ll need to get used to the new surroundings and I’ll have to take her to the vet…”

“That sounds like a new adventure,” Daehyun said. Maybe he was hoping that Yongguk would make an invitation. Just maybe.

Yongguk nodded. “I’ll need help.”

Daehyun smiled, bowing his head. Then he remembered something, “Hey, what’d you name her?”

“Mrs. Dakko,” Yongguk said proudly.

Daehyun couldn’t help but chuckle. “Really? That’s not like you..”

Yongguk seemed confused. “It isn’t? No offense, but what do you know what I’m like?”

“Well, I just meant—” Daehyun had said that because the gloomy, mysterious image of Yongguk hadn’t yet fully left his mind. He wasn’t sure how to tell him that without sounding silly. “—You don’t seem like the type to… It’s just that, at first you seemed a lot more… intimidating. Unlike Mrs. Dakko.”

For a moment Yongguk said nothing. He then smiled faintly in disbelief. “Intimidating? Me?”

Daehyun felt a bit embarrassed and looked away. “I guess it’s just your reputation.”

“Do people really think that?” Yongguk asked, disbelief still evident in his voice.

“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me it’s all unintentional.” Daehyun threw a glance at Yongguk, seeing him blush a little.

“Well… I do try, but _intimidating_ was never my intention.” He shook his head. “It really is odd to me how people can think I’m the least bit intimidating.”

“Honestly? I’ve been scared to talk to you for most of the semester,” Daehyun finally admitted. It felt good to say it, but ultimately he felt dumb for it.

Yongguk’s chuckle felt like a mockery, even though it was actually genuine. “Well, I’m glad you did. But it’s silly that you didn’t want to. I don’t – even have that many friends,” Yongguk confessed, running his hand through his hair. “I’m grateful for you and Himchan.”

Daehyun nodded. He would have said something else sincere but it appeared that had turned his attention towards the lecture. It could have been his way of avoiding the topic; Daehyun decided not to mention it.

He figured he should focus as well. That proved more difficult as Yongguk was _right there_ , right next to him. Daehyun’s thoughts would often wonder off, thinking about how if he had the guts to do so, he could just take Yongguk’s hand. He didn’t dwell on how it would be received, he just thought about how easy it seemed.

And then Yongguk would notice him staring and give him a smile. Daehyun would look away, blushing.

By the end of the class, Daehyun had written very little. Yongguk and him went to find Jongup and Himchan and once they were reunited, Daehyun tugged on Jongup’s sleeve.

“Uppie… Can I borrow your notes?”

“Geez Daehyun, were you distracted again?” Jongup asked, speaking up on purpose. Daehyun punched his arm. Himchan chuckled, while Yongguk only smiled, keeping his gaze down.

* * *

Himchan waited or Yongguk and him to be alone in their room to bring up the matter. He sat on his desk, arms and legs crossed. His gaze was so intense that he didn’t even need to make a sound to get Yongguk’s attention.

He glanced up from his phone and met Himchan’s gaze. “What is it..?”

“So, you befriended my boyfriend’s best friend and smuggled a kitten and I hear about it this morning, not from you,” Himchan said, getting straight to the point.

Yongguk shrugged. “There was no time.”

“Right. I can forgive you for that.” Himchan looked out the window, letting a moment pass before he brought _the other thing_ up, “So, what do you think about Daehyun?”

“I guess…” Yongguk leaned back, giving Himchan a calculating look. “He’s cool.”

“ _He’s cool_? That’s it – all you have to say?”

“Well – I don’t know – what do you want me to say? We haven’t spend much time together. I know he likes cats… He dresses well? I like his hair colour… He’s nice to be around, it’s refreshing in a way. You know how I’m usually drained by social interaction?”

Himchan nodded.

Yongguk twisted his phone as he spoke. “Well, so far it hasn’t been like that with him. It’s quite the opposite, his presence is… relaxing.” He shrugged. “And he’s cute I guess.”

The look Himchan was giving him made Yongguk frown. “What?”

Himchan didn’t have to say anything, he only kept looking at Yongguk with a small smile.

“Chanie! Come on, I hardly know him! Give it some time, yeah?”

Himchan raised his arms. “Hey, I’m not saying you should bang him tomorrow. I just think that this is a good thing.”

Suddenly Yongguk didn’t seem irritated. A sorrowful smile appeared on his lips as he glanced down. “You really want to get rid of me, don’t you?”

Himchan frowned. He got off the desk and sat on the bed instead. “Yongguk, I’m going to say this once – and by that I actually mean as many times as it takes for you to finally get it – I am not choosing anyone or anything over you. Not my studies, not Jongup, not my other friends. I am not trying to replace you or push you away or get rid of you. Got it?”

Yongguk nodded, but they both knew that he would need that kind of reassurance again and again.

“As for Daehyun, I just like you being around someone whose presence does you good.”

Yongguk nodded again. He couldn’t bring himself to look up. He stole that moment to glance at his phone again and saw one new notification.

It was a comment on his most recent selfie, one he’d taken with Mrs. Dakko. More importantly, the comment was from Daehyun and it read, “omg what a cutie”.

Immediately after another notification popped up, another comment by Daehyun  which read, “the kitten is okay too”.

It made Yongguk smile. Before even thinking about it, he replied to the comment with a heart.

“Well, you didn’t hear a single thing,” Himchan stated.

Yongguk looked up at him apologetically. “Uh… No, sorry. Was it important?”

Himchan paused as if thinking about the answer, but in the end shook his head. “Nah. But I am interested in why you’re smiling at your phone. Is it Daehyun?”

Yongguk just showed him the comments.

Himchan laughed, shaking his head. “That escalated quickly!”

“Oh – come on, it probably doesn’t mean anything…” As Yongguk stared at Daehyun’s profile page, he got the irrational feeling that everything hung on whether he’d text Daehyun or not. He took a deep breath and sent “hey” before he could change his mind.

Himchan watched Yongguk’s turmoil with an evil smile. “How’s that going?”

Yongguk buried his face in his pillow. “Shut up.” As soon as his phone buzzed he grabbed it. There was a bubble in his chest as he hoped that it was Daehyun’s answer and not another random notification.

It must have been his lucky day.

[dh_jung_:] hi!

[dh_jung_:] listen, about the comment

[dh_jung_:] Jongup took my phone I’m really sorry

[bangstergram:] Hahaha it’s okay.

[bangstergram:] Does that mean you don’t think I’m cute?

[dh_jung_:] no!

[dh_jung_:] I mean I do think that, just

[dh_jung_:] the comment was kinda

[bangstergram:] I’m messing with you Daehyun.

[dh_jung_:] right haha

[dh_jung_:] so about that play-date we’re supposed to organize for Himchan and Jongup

[dh_jung_:] it is going to be hell aligning all of our schedules

[bangstergram:] I didn’t even think about that.

[bangstergram:] I think that weekends are pretty safe?

[dh_jung_:] I have no friends so I’m always free

[dh_jung_:] not sure about Jongup tho

[bangstergram:] Me too.

[dh_jung_:] you too what?

[bangstergram:] I have no friends.

[dh_jung_:] come on that can’t be true

[bangstergram:] It is.

[bangstergram:] I only pretend to be cool, remember.

[dh_jung_:] you are cool

[bangstergram:] I’m glad you think so.

[bangstergram:] Anyway, I’m free this weekend. I’ll ask Himchan and you talk to Jongup. Be subtle.

[dh_jung_:] I’m always subtle :p

Yongguk chuckled at the last message. He sent another heart before looking up at Himchan. “Hey, Chanie?”

He was going through his notes and he just raised his eyebrows to indicate that he was listening.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

“Studying… Drinking coffee… Maybe meeting up with Zelo and Youngjae…”

“When are you seeing them?”

“Sunday, probably. Why do you ask?”

Yongguk quickly thought of an excuse. “I just want to know how long I’ll be alone.”

Himchan grimaced and threw an eraser at Yongguk. It completely missed him – not that Himchan was trying – and Yongguk chuckled.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”

Himchan shook his head, returning his attention to his notes.

When he took his phone, Yongguk saw that he had already received a message from Daehyun.

[dh_jung_:] Jongup says he’ll spend the weekend in his bed because the weather is shitty

[bangstergram:] Well, that’s perfect. Himchan has some plans on Sunday, but I’m pretty sure I can kick him out on Saturday.

[dh_jung_:] … so my room is getting demolished?

[bangstergra:] hahaha I guess so? I mean, I’m the one who can get Himchan out. I’m guessing it’ll be hard to get Jongup out of the bed.

[bangstergram:] Besides, isn’t that where Himchan wants him?

[dh_jung_:] I don’t wanna think about it

[dh_jung_:] but you’re right

[bangstergram:] Don’t worry I have a shit ton of video games and CDs here. I also have Netflix and books so just take your pick.

[bangstergram:] Besides, Mrs. Dakko is here!

[dh_jung_:] omg you’re right

[dh_jung_:] have you taken her to the vet yet?

[bangstergram:] Nope. We could go together this Saturday.

[dh_jung_:] that sounds amazing

[bangstergram:] We can grab coffee on the way back.

[bangstergarm:] And snacks for later.

[dh_jung_:] that literally sounds perfect

[bangstergram:] Yeah, well, I suck at human interaction so it all comes down to cute animals, music, movies and food.

[dh_jung_:] honestly? that  still sounds perfect

[bangstergram:] I’m glad you think so.

[bangstergram:] We’ll see about the time tomorrow, okay? You don’t have to ask if you want to sit with me.

[dh_jung_:] then I won’t

[dh_jung_:] see you tomorrow Yongguk

[bangstergram:] xoxo

* * *

When Jongup started asking about who he’s texting and why, Daehyun wanted so badly to squeal into his pillow, _“I have a date with Bang Yongguk,”_ but that would have ruined their plans. So he stayed quiet, smiling to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note no.1: Dakko in Japanese means to hold (a baby or a pet) or to snuggle. Isn’t that fucking adorable?
> 
> Note no.2: I excluded the 'bap' in the end of Daehyun's actual instagram username because B.A.P isn't a thing in this AU. 


	3. Part 3

Daehyun decided to wake Jongup up the old fashioned way – by lying down on top of him. Even though Jongup slept like the dead, eventually he found himself crushed under Daehyun’s weight and he started to squirm around.

“You really need to stop doing that,” he murmured sleepily.

“You need to get up,” Daehyun replied.

“How can I when you're on top of me!?”

“You'll get up once I move?”

Jongup nodded and Daehyun stood up. In response to that, Jongup turned over, hugged his pillow comfortably and kept snoring.

“Come on!” Daehyun complained, nudging the other.

“Didn't I tell you that I'm not getting out of bed today.” Jongup's voice was muffled by the pillow.

“You did, but you'll have to change your plans,” Daehyun said, crossing his arms.

Jongup didn't even spare him a glance. “Why's that?”

“Because I set you up on a date.”

That managed to stir Jongup. He moved as quickly as he could while still sleepy, sitting up and turning to squint at Daehyun.

“You set me up on a date?”

“I did.”

“With Himchan?”

“Who else!?”

Jongup shrugged. “You have some crazy ideas, I had to check.” He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his glasses in order to properly glare at Daehyun. “Tell me again why I need you to set me up on dates? Aren't _you_ the one who needs help with that kind of stuff?”

“Apparently not. I've heard that you and Himchan are having a hard time finding the time to be alone,” Daehyun said slowly.

“You've heard? From Yongguk?”

Daehyun nodded. Jongup grinned and threw a pillow at him. “You sneaky bastard! What did you do?”

“Well, we're just going to get out of your way,” Daehyun said, shrugging.

“ _We_? You mean you and Yongguk?”

Daehyun nodded sheepishly.

“That sounds like you also have a date,” Jongup said, smiling maliciously.

Daehyun felt himself blush. “Well, it's not really a date… We're just going to take Mrs. Dakko to the vet, get some coffee and hang out afterwards.” He shrugged.

“Daehyun, you stupid bean burrito! That's _exactly_ what a date is! I would know.”

Daehyun covered his face. “If I start thinking of it as a date, I'll get nervous!”

Jongup laughed, shaking his head. “You're hopeless.” He ran his hand through his hair and threw a glance at the nearby clock. “How much time do I have to get ready?”

“Three hours.”

Jongup nodded. “I can work with that."

* * *

Three hours turned out to be just enough time. Jongup was in no rush, he had long gone over the dating phase with Himchan so he didn't have to pay attention to the same details that Daehyun had to.

All the while Daehyun was stressing over every little thing. After two hours he was practically ready, but he stood in front of the mirror, fixing his outfit even though it didn't need it.

Jongup couldn't watch him like that anymore, so he walked over and purposely ruffled Daehyun’s hair. “You look _fine_ , Dae.”

As expected Daehyun smacked Jongup and once again tried to fix his hair.

“Maybe you should go out earlier. Text Yongguk and tell him I kicked you out. Because I will, if you keep this up.”

Daehyun turned to glare at Jongup. “You're acting like you weren't nervous when you were going on your first – date… See, that's the only reason I'm nervous! It's because we're treating this like a date and it shouldn't be—”

“You're only nervous because you're making a big deal out of it. It is a date, but it's not a big deal, get it?”

Daehyun stared blankly at him. “No.”

Jongup just shook his head. “Besides, Himchan was the anxious one when we started dating.”

“You and I recall those events differently.”

Jongup sighed. He grabbed his bag and searched through it until he found what he'd been looking for – Himchan’s black cat ears which Jongup kept forgetting to return.

Daehyun watched him carefully as Jongup made his way over. “What're you…?”

“You can't let Mrs. Dakko be the cutest kitten out there,” Jongup said and put the cat ears on Daehyun's head. “There. You look amazing and for the love of God stop worrying.”

Daehyun's cheeks turned red as he stared at his own reflection. “This is ridiculous…” He went to remove the accessory, but stopped half way. For some reason unknown to Daehyun himself, he decided to trust Jongup and left the ears be.

Even as he finally decided that he was ready, there was still half an hour left. He once again took Jongup's advice and texted Yongguk, telling him that he's being kicked out.

Yongguk replied that it was alright to come over earlier.

“Well, I'm off,” Daehyun announced as he grabbed his backpack.

“Good luck – even though you don't need it,” Jongup said.

Daehyun smiled and went out. To say that he was nervous would have been an understatement. He had to stop in front of Yongguk's door and take a few deep breaths before knocking, because he felt like his knees would give out.

Himchan was the one who answered. “What did you do to get kicked out?” He asked without giving a greeting first.

“Nothing,” Daehyun muttered as he went in.

“He'll be with you in a minute. Meanwhile I need you to know that both of you are snakes and I love you for it.” Himchan offered a small smile before heading out himself.

Daehyun glanced around and spotted Mrs. Dakko tangled in a pink blanket on the bed. He was glad to see her again and he smiled, going over to kneel beside her. He carefully reached out to see if she'd move away, but she didn't. She seemed hesitant but eventually moved forward and bumped his palm. Daehyun smiled brightly and started to pet her gently.

Soon after, the bathroom door opened. Yongguk’s outfit, which consisted of black ripped skinny jeans and a white tank top, took Daehyun’s breath away. All of his attention momentarily left Mr. Dakko and was instead on Yongguk.

“Hey,” he said, giving one of his signature toothy smiles.

Daehyun needed a moment to collect himself. “Hi…”

“She’s letting you pet her,” he pointed out cheerfully, as he grabbed his grey  Tokyo hoodie and put it on.

Daehyun let out a small breath of relief. As much as he appreciated Yongguk’s bare arms, he was also pretty sure that ultimately that sight would lead to Daehyun’s demise. Besides, it was cold out. If anything, he was concerned for Yongguk’s health.

“Yeah, she seems a lot less scared.” He smiled at Mrs. Dakko as she kept bumping her head against his palm. Daehyun giggled. “You must be magical.”

“I’m just good with cats, I guess.” Yongguk sat on the bed and scooped Mrs. Dakko up in his arms, along with the blanket. “We understand each other, in a way. We both need our own space and we know just the right amount of attention both of us needs… I’m sorry, I’m not making any sense.”

“You are, I get it.” Once again, Yongguk was preoccupied with Mrs. Dakko, allowing Daehyun to look at him as much as he wanted. Even so, Daehyun was the one who broke the silence, “So, did you buy the blanket for her or did you already have it?”

“I—What does it matter?” Yongguk muttered, bowing his head to hide his face.

Daehyun chuckled. “It doesn’t, I was just curious.”

Yongguk shook his head. “It’s just there so we won’t have to use my hoodie again. We’re using your backpack?”

“Yup,” Daehyun said.

Together they once again stuffed Mrs. Dakko in the backpack, making sure that she’s comfy as they transported her out of the dorm. The operation went smoothly, though Yongguk and Daehyun still were extremely dedicated to the task. There was really no one to challenge them, but they were ready. For what? They didn’t know, but they were ready.

As they got a bit further away from the building, thankfully undiscovered, Yongguk stopped to get Mrs. Dakko out of the backpack. He carried her the rest of the way. As they walked Yongguk rambled about everything he’d buy for her as soon as he got his allowance money. Daehyun enjoyed listening to it, he loved the way Yongguk’s eyes lit up with excitement.

If only he didn’t stop every once in a while to apologize for talking excessively. Every time Daehyun reassured him that it was alright, and even so there was a moment of silence every time before Yongguk could start talking again.

In the waiting room, the chatting died out. Daehyun felt the silence to be uncomfortable, unlike when they were both listening to a lecture and taking notes. Now it was just them.

As Daehyun was trying to think of something to say, Yongguk wordlessly showed him his phone.

He was showing Daehyun a ten second long video of a kitten eating. He was surprised at first, but then smiled, finding that to be a good substitute for small talk.

As they waited, Daehyun and Yongguk showed each other various cat videos, giggling quietly. They were both relaxed enough to barely notice how close they were. Thighs touching, foreheads pressed together as they looked down at their phones. Mrs. Dakko was comfortably resting in Yongguk's lap, meowing occasionally. When she did, Yongguk would start petting her absently but not moving any further away from Daehyun.

At last it seemed that he held Yongguk's attention instead of the kitten.

That changed once again when they were called in. Daehyun didn't mind being the less important kitten in the room, if it was Mrs. Dakko that was his rival. He knew he couldn't compete with her.

Besides, it was all worth seeing Yongguk’s smile when Mrs. Dakko was handed back to him. He walked over to Daehyun and placed her on his shoulder.

Yongguk chuckled and Daehyun felt like the entire room lit up. He reached up to hold Mrs. Dakko for more security. Together they made their way out.

As they walked towards the coffee shop, Yongguk seemed bouncy. He kept turning to Daehyun and attempting to start a sentence, but he’d always cut himself off.

“What is it?” Daehyun said, nudging him in hopes that Yongguk will finally say what was on his mind.

He just shrugged, keeping his gaze down. “I just wanted to thank you. If it wasn’t for you I probably never would have even thought about taking Mrs. Dakko in.”

Daehyun nodded. “Hey, no problem. After all, I got to spend time with you because of her.”

Yongguk gave him a curious look and suddenly Daehyun realized what he’d said. He took a deep breath trying to think of some way to defend himself, but upon realizing that there’s really nothing he can say to get himself out of the situation, he went silent.

“I’m glad I met you,” Yongguk said, seeing that Daehyun wasn’t going to speak.

“Why?” Daehyun blurted out before he had the time to stop himself. It was a stupid thing to say and truth to be told he had no idea what kind of an answer he could expect.

Yongguk ran a hand through his hair, looking up at the sky briefly. “I guess you’ve made things better for me by just being there. I don’t know.” He shrugged. He seemed to be embarrassed by his own answer; at the same time it was clear to Daehyun that there was so much more he wanted to say but held back.

“I have no idea how I managed that, but I’m glad I did.” Daehyun got an overwhelming urge to take Yongguk’s hand.

The newly occurred silence wouldn’t have been uncomfortable if Daehyun’s head wasn’t filled with thoughts of holding Yongguk’s hand. In fact, those thoughts were what made him widen the gap.

Daehyun was relieved when they reached the coffee shop. Yongguk was the one to take their drinks as Daehyun’s hands were occupied, with Mrs. Dakko having fallen asleep on his shoulder.

They sat in the corner by the window. The table was small enough for their knees to touch under it. The drink warmed Daehyun up, as well as Mrs. Dakko, tangled in the pink blanket in his lap.

Yongguk was quiet as he sipped his coffee, staring ahead. “I’m going home to Incheon in a week. I’m taking Mrs. Dakko.”

Daehyun pouted and looked down at his lap, beginning to pet her small head. “Oh… Well, I’m going to miss her. But better that than you getting kicked out of the dorm.”

He sighed and leaned forward across the table to have a look at Mrs. Dakko as well. “But I’ll only see her once in two weeks… I’ve grown too attached to her, I think.”

“You’ll be okay… Maybe you’ll go home more often?”

Yongguk bumped Mrs. Dakko’s nose and leaned back in his chair. He half-smiled, bringing his cup to his lips. “Unlikely.” He didn’t elaborate, he just kept sipping his drink.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay, Yongguk,” Daehyun said softly. Maybe just a little, he hoped that he would be able to console Yongguk once Mrs. Dakko was away. Not that he was happy about her leaving– he had grown attached to her as well and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to let go of what had helped him get closer to Yongguk.

Daehyun hesitated, but in the end decided to reach out. However, he changed his mind at the last moment, but as there was not much space between them to begin with, Daehyun’s hand ended up brushing Yongguk’s anyway.

It made him flinch and his gaze snapped up.

Daehyun’s heart stopped. He held his breath, thinking that he had utterly screwed up.

Yongguk slowly set his cup down and took Daehyun’s hands in his own. His heart started beating again, only much faster than normal. He was able to breathe again.

But his face was heating up quickly. “Your hands are cold,” Daehyun mumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Yongguk answered just as quietly, but didn’t move away.

As Daehyun’s face lit up more, he got an idea. He brought Yongguk’s hands up to hold them against his own cheeks, which were quite warm at that point. Yongguk was confused for a split second and then he smiled, his eyes turning into crescents. He leaned forward. So did Daehyun.

Unsettled mewling could be heard from Daehyun’s lap.

His eyes widened and he leaned back, pulling Mrs. Dakko against his chest. “Oh, I’m so sorry...”

Yongguk frowned, his hands now free to once again take his cup. “What is it?”

“I squished her when I leaned in,” Daehyun muttered. A part of him thought that Yongguk would get angry.

He shook his head and broke into a quiet fit of giggles, which melted Daehyun’s heart. “She’ll be fine.”

Daehyun pouted, letting Mrs. Dakko cling onto his shirt with her small claws. “I feel bad that I woke her up.”

Yongguk shook his head. “She’ll sleep more at home.”

Daehyun felt like their walk back home was a lot more relaxed than the one to the coffee shop. They didn’t stop chatting while they were buying snacks and until they reached the dorm.

“Make yourself at home,” Yongguk said, closing the door behind them.

Daehyun’s priority was to get Mrs. Dakko out of the backpack. He took the invitation seriously so he sat on Yongguk’s bed, placing the kitten in his lap.

“What do you wanna do?” He asked, glancing at Yongguk as he passed Daehyun some of the snacks they’d bought.

“If I’m being completely honest… I’m exhausted. I need something that doesn’t require me to use my brain—“ he hesitated, “—or communicate.”

Daehyun nodded. “Alright. Why don’t you show me your book collection? We can play some music and just…” He shrugged.

The smile Yongguk gave him was more than relieved. “You wouldn’t mind doing nothing for a while? You wouldn’t be bored?” He asked, still sounding hesitant.

Daehyun quickly shook his head. “Of course not. Do people really have to do _something_ all the time?”

Yongguk grinned. “No. I suppose not.”

The next couple of hours were the most relaxed both Yongguk and Daehyun have spent in a while. They hardly talked. Yongguk mostly lay on his bed, petting Mrs. Dakko and occasionally scrolling through social media. He often showed Daehyun various cat and dog videos, the other half of the time keeping his eyes closed.

Daehyun spent the time walking around or sitting in various places as he read one of the books Yongguk had told him was his favourite. Not that he was nervous, or that he minded spending time that way, but his own mind kept him restless. He often stole glances at Yongguk, contemplating whether he should sit closer to him. Every now and again Daehyun dared, but his confidence never lasted and he would start pacing around again.

Those few hours later, when Daehyun had gotten tired of pacing and was sat as close to Yongguk as he dared; Yongguk sat up with Mrs. Dakko in his arms and nudged Daehyun to look up from his book.

“You wanna watch a movie?”

Daehyun put the book away and shrugged, turning to face Yongguk. “Sure.” Daehyun nudged him back. “Feeling any better?”

Yongguk nodded. “Yeah… My batteries are recharged.” He dropped his gaze to Mrs. Dakko, as if petting her was an action that required a lot concentration. “Thank you for this.”

“Don’t even thank me, Yongguk. I’m always up for hanging out without doing anything. But I’m down for watching a movie too.” He smiled.

Yongguk smiled back and grabbed his laptop.

They ended up watching several movies until the sun started to go down. At one point Yongguk excused himself briefly, telling Daehyun to keep watching. His phone was set on the bed, though Daehyun paid it no mind. He kept his attention on the screen.

Yongguk’s phone buzzed. Daehyun ignored it. Then it buzzed again. Daehyun still ignored it. Then it kept buzzing again and again until curiosity got the best of him. He didn’t touch the phone, just leaned over to see what the fuss was about.

The messages were all from Himchan. Daehyun caught the last few.

“and don’t get mad at me for reminding you, I know you’ll forget unless I do”

“you know that too”

“guk?”

“jongup’s calling. Just remember; take. Your. Meds.”

As the messages stopped coming, the screen went black. Daehyun leaned back. Yongguk walked in and sat on the bed, not even noticing his phone.

Daehyun didn’t say anything for a while. He’d hoped that Yongguk would at least look at his phone. But it seemed that he had completely forgotten, and Himchan’s reminding was called for.

At last Daehyun decided to speak up. “You, um, got some messages, it seemed urgent.”

Yongguk nodded and wordlessly checked his phone. But before Daehyun had the time to celebrate his success, Yongguk just tossed his phone away.

“It wasn’t urgent,” was all he said.

And so Daehyun became restless. He was perfectly aware that it was none of his business, nor was it his job to take care of Yongguk. He even thought that his intentions could be mistaken for pity, and that was the last thing Daehyun wanted.

But he still worried. Unfortunately for him there was no other way to bring the matter up without exposing himself as a nosy text-reader.

Daehyun was willing to make that sacrifice, for Yongguk’s sake.

He nudged him gently. “You should listen to Himchan though... You should take your meds.”

Yongguk choked on his soda, sitting up and coughing. Even when he’d calmed down he didn’t look up.

“How did you…?”

Daehyun bit his lip. “I just – I just instinctively threw a glance when you received the message... I’m sorry.”

Yongguk didn't move, keeping his face buried in his hands.

Daehyun wanted to reach out but ultimately decided against it. “It's fine, really, there's no reason t—”

“I _know_ it's fine,” Yongguk said irritably. “I'm past that, I'm past being ashamed. But…” When he looked at Daehyun it was more than obvious that he was upset. Yongguk didn't keep eye contact too long. “It's just that you don't know me well yet and I don't want you to form your opinion about me based off of something like that.”

Not that Daehyun knew what the medication was for and to him it seemed that he couldn't form an opinion without knowing that – either way he wouldn't do that. It was none of his business, nor did it matter.

Maybe Yongguk would tell him some day, but he wouldn't ask.

“Do I seem that shallow to you?” Daehyun tried to sound playful, but he couldn't completely hide that he was maybe a little offended.

Yongguk shrugged, scooping up Mrs. Dakko in his arms. “I never know. People have done it before.”

“Well, I won't. I just have that natural tendency to worry about people.” Daehyun smiled reassuringly.

Yongguk nodded, keeping himself occupied with petting Mrs. Dakko before he was ready to look at Daehyun again. Yongguk decided to trust him – he really wanted to.

“There's another thing,” he hesitantly brought it up.

Daehyun raised his eyebrows. “Which is?”

“My meds knock me out – the ones I take in the evening do. They're supposed to do that, of course, but the thing is that I really like spending time with you and I don't wanna fall asleep on you.”

The words echoed in Daehyun's head – an argument could be made that he shouldn't have gotten so excited, but just knowing that Yongguk liked spending time with Daehyun was enough for butterflies to raise in his stomach.

His head was telling him to settle down and stop exaggerating the meaning of this usual statement, but his heart was fluttering.

“Don't even worry about it,” Daehyun said with a wide smile. “Your health comes first. And we have time to hang out – assuming that we want to be good friends and let Jongup and Himchan hook up every now and again.”

That drew a smile from Yongguk and Daehyun felt relief wash over him. He was smiling. Everything was fine when Yongguk was smiling.

“That's true.” There was a pause before he leaned over to rewind the movie a little. “But let's finish this first. I promise I'll take them afterwards.”

“Fair enough.”

Yongguk kept his promise. When the movie ended, they both got ready for bed, but Yongguk insisted on hanging out a while longer.

And who was Daehyun to complain? Him and Yongguk took turns petting Mrs. Dakko as they talked, somehow constantly coming closer to each other.

Daehyun had only noticed the proximity when Yongguk's head ended up on his thigh. As Daehyun wondered how it got there, he spaced out, therefore earning a nudge from Yongguk.

“You're not listening to me,” he said. Mrs. Dakko had fallen asleep on his chest. The image almost made Daehyun melt.

“I'm sorry, I spaced out,” he said apologetically.

Yongguk gave a small playful pout. “If you won't listen to me, I'll just talk to Mrs. Dakko,” he said sulkily, but when he glanced over he realized that she was asleep. “Oh.”

Him and Daehyun laughed.

“No one wants to talk to me,” Yongguk whined while Daehyun was still giggling.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to,” Daehyun said, reaching out to casually ruffle Yongguk's hair.

At least it felt casual. In reality, Daehyun had been tempted to touch Yongguk's curls ever since his head so miraculously ended up in Daehyun's lap.

“Take Mrs. Dakko, I wanna sit up,” he said.

Daehyun obliged, carefully picking up the sleeping kitten.

Yongguk sat up and rubbed his eyes, taking Mrs. Dakko from Daehyun to put her on her pillow. He tucked her into her pink blanket before returning to sit by Daehyun.

Yongguk had already started speaking more slowly and yawning more frequently. He seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open and he was swaying almost unnoticeably. It resulted in resting his head on Daehyun's shoulder, not only that but he completely put his weight on Daehyun as if he was a large pillow.

“We should sleep,” Daehyun suggested.

Yongguk, as if he hadn't heard him, just looked up at Daehyun with hooded eyes.

“I didn't tell you that I really like your ears.”

For a second Daehyun was utterly confused, but then he remembered the accessory Jongup had put on him and that he was still wearing.

“Oh, this?” Daehyun said, reaching up to touch the cat ears. “It's Jongup's… Or at least he's borrowed them from Himchan.”

“Ah. They looked familiar,” Yongguk said, sitting up to properly face Daehyun. “Looks really cute on you.”

“Thanks,” Daehyun mumbled uncertainly. He could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Let's take a selfie,” Yongguk suggested, reaching for his phone.

“What – without the kitten? How are we going to attract attention then?” Daehyun joked as Yongguk retook his place beside him.

“We wouldn't want to wake her up. Besides, we have a kitten,” he said, poking the accessory on Daehyun's head.

He hardly had the time to react to react as Yongguk was already wrapping his arm around Daehyun's shoulder to take the picture.

The best Daehyun could do was give a shy smile to the phone's camera.

Yongguk snapped a few pictures, then showed them to Daehyun for them to decide which to post.

Daehyun was amazed by how Yongguk looked stunning in every one of them, while Daehyun could pick out one or two where he himself didn't look like a disaster.

“This one,” Daehyun suggested.

Yongguk pursed his lip. “Yah, I guess I look decent.”

Daehyun nudged him. “Shut up, you're beautiful.”

Yongguk bowed his head and Daehyun could have sworn his cheeks were dusted pink.

“No.. But you're effortless.”

“Me?” Daehyun said in disbelief. “I'm such a try-hard and even so I don't get anywhere near you.”

“I don't wanna fight over this,” Yongguk said, keeping himself busy with posting the picture.

“Well I do!” Daehyun said stubbornly.

“It takes two people to have a fight and I refuse to fight.”

Daehyun huffed. It was true, but he was quite passionate about Yongguk's beauty. Of course, he was in no position to argue so he gave up, but he had no intention of dropping the matter completely.

“Fine,” Daehyun mumbled and pouted childishly.

Yongguk finished posting the picture and put his phone aside, then turned to look at Daehyun.

“Don't sulk,” he said, clearly amused. “Although it's cute.”

Daehyun opened his mouth to reply or possibly protest against the compliment, but he was cut off and therefore immediately silenced by Yongguk pressing a kiss to the corner of Daehyun's lips. It was so subtle that it could have been just a misplaced kiss to the cheek, but it still took Daehyun's breath away.

While he was completely stunned and unable to utter a word, Yongguk was somehow able to remain nonchalant.

“I can't keep my eyes open anymore,” he announced. Yongguk kept his nonchalance as he curled up and rested his head on Daehyun's shoulder. Not surprisingly, Yongguk fell asleep almost immediately.

Daehyun contemplated it for a while, but soon it came to mind that Yongguk was probably too knocked out to notice; so Daehyun decided to go through with it.

He grabbed his phone and texted Jongup.

[dh_jung_:] UPPIE I WILL L O S E IT

[dh_jung_:] YONGGUK KISSED ME

[dh_jung_:] well not KISSED me kissed me, we didn't make out

[dh_jung_:] it wasn't even on the lips

[dh_jung_:] actually it was a little on the lips

[dh_jung_:] and now he's sleeping on me

[dh_jung_:] like, leaning against me

[dh_jung_:] I'll lose it I'll completely lose it

Daehyun didn’t take the lack of replies to heart, he knew that Jongup was probably busy with Himchan. But he needed to tell someone.

He sank into the pillows, daring to wrap his arm around the sleeping Yongguk and hold him as Daehyun fell asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any errors or if this just sucked. But I finally wrote it right? Hahaha ha h a h a h--


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished this.

It had been weeks since Daehyun and Yongguk woke up leaning against each other, both disoriented and in disbelief. They had decided not to make a big deal out of it and just kept going.

Switching rooms had become more frequent, despite Daehyun thinking that their relationship would get weird. It was quite the opposite.

There was some progress at first but then it just went static. So much so that Daehyun had gotten used to being close to Yongguk. Can you imagine that? No longer getting flustered when Yongguk touched him or when they were sitting next to each other.

Sleeping in the same bad had become normal. They were also starting to be seen together on campus. It made Daehyun feel like he could hear whispers behind his back, but he always forced himself not to look.

It was all in his head anyway.

He missed Mrs. Dakko. He would bring it up every now and again but Yongguk would usually end the conversation quickly. The most Daehyun had gotten out of him was one especially depressing, snowless and gray Monday.

They were sitting on the twin desks by the window, both looking somewhere in the distance.

“I really miss Mrs. Dakko,” Daehyun blurted out.

Yongguk nodded in agreement. “She’d make this shitty day better.”

“But you get to see her.”

Yongguk buried his nose in the hem of his turtleneck. “It’s not enough. I want her here…”

“Would it be considered bad influence if I asked you to bring her back?” Daehyun asked jokingly.

Yongguk gave a small smile. “You’ve been a bad influence since we met, actually. You’re the one who suggested sneaking her in.”

Daehyun nudged him. “Yah but I also suggested taking her home! That was responsible.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But also turned out to be a bad idea… I guess it’s not so much whether my ideas are responsible, they’re just bad.”

“It wasn’t a bad decision to take her in,” Yongguk said. “The problem is that she’s not here.”

“I really wanna see her,” Daehyun muttered. “Wouldn’t it be cool if— no forget it.”

Yongguk perked up, raising his eyebrows. “What? What would be cool?”

“Just – but it’s really stupid it would never work – I was thinking that if Mrs. Dakko can’t come over I could.. But that’s dumb.” It wasn’t that Daehyun thought it wouldn’t work, the thing was that he felt like it was too pushy to suggest visiting Yongguk’s home.

“It’s not dumb,” Yongguk said softly. “It’s just that… That’s not a good idea.”

“Why?” Daehyun shuffled over, nudging him lightly to try and get him to talk.

“Well.” Yongguk glanced at Daehyun briefly before looking out the window again. “It’s my parents,” he said at last as something he’d been holding in for a while.

“What about them?” Daehyun asked, trying not to sound nosy but ultimately failing.

“They’re, uh... Let’s say old-fashioned. About _everything_. It’s brought a lot of conflict in the past.” He paused, eyes cold. It looked like he wasn’t going to say anything else, but he continued, his voice filled with irritability,

“They refused to get me professional help until I was literally seconds away from—and even so they were sceptical of me actually _needing_ help.” He shook his head. “If I brought you home they would definitely have a hard time believing that we really are just friends. They’ve been suspicious of me since high school even though I wasn’t stupid enough to tell them anything.”

Daehyun let out a quiet “oh.” As hurt as he might have been for Yongguk insisting that they were friends, he knew that they had a bigger problem at hand, so he pushed the thought aside.

“Alright, I get it. Thank you for telling me.” Daehyun reached out and took Yongguk’s hand.

Instead of pulling away, Yongguk pulled him closer. Before he even knew what was going on, Daehyun was leaning against Yongguk and being held by him. Not that he was complaining.

They cuddled it out by the window.

They didn’t really talk about it afterwards. Daehyun didn’t bring up Mrs. Dakko or the possibility of him visiting Incheon.

That was, until one day when they had morning classes. Daehyun had his head laid on the desk, waiting to see whether Yongguk would sit with him or not. It was a daily stress for him – when he wasn’t sitting with Jongup – if Yongguk would bail on him. Not that he ever did, but Daehyun was still paranoid.

And how could he not be when the whispers he had thought he was imagining turned out to be real. More real than he had thought.

That morning as he was dragging himself to the classroom, two girls approached him. Girls he definitely didn’t know, but who seemed to know him. They asked him about Yongguk and the “nature of their relationship.” He wasn’t sure how to respond and threw them a quick generic answer before hastily walking the hell away.

He was still thinking about the incident when Yongguk not-so-gracefully placed his butt on the seat beside Daehyun.

“Hey,” he greeted. There was a subtle note of excitement in his voice, one that Daehyun couldn’t miss.

So he sat up properly to look at Yongguk. “Hi! Something good happened?”

Yongguk seemed to hesitate for a second. “Yes, actually,” he said, resting his leg on Daehyun’s – another thing that’s become normal for them. Since Yongguk no longer had an empty space beside him to rest his legs on, they resolved to that.

“Remember what you’ve asked me about visiting Mrs. Dakko? Well, my parents are out of town for the weekend. A prolonged weekend actually. Yongnam will be busy working on an important assignment and if I ask Natasha nicely she might leave the house… to us.”

Daehyun stared at him with wide eyes, blinking a few times in disbelief. “You’re taking me to Incheon?”

“I’d love to, but we’ll see, okay?” That seemed to be the end. Yongguk took out his notebook – he was no longer hiding it from Daehyun even though he wouldn’t let him read it – and began scribbling in it. “You just seemed to like the idea a lot and I wanted to make it happen,” he said without looking up.

Daehyun was stunned. He smiled brightly, resisting the urge to tackle-hug Yongguk right then and there. He nudged him instead. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

For a few days Daehyun had to stop himself from bothering Yongguk about the trip. He just really needed to know if it was happening. He tried not to get his hopes up, in case it wasn’t but… Who was he kidding? His hopes were _way_ up.

Just thinking about it made him smile like an idiot and it made Jongup concerned.

“Are you actually going with him? I mean, did he confirm it?” Jongup questioned that Thursday evening.

“Uh, no,” Daehyun admitted.

Jongup sighed and flicked his forehead. “Then stop daydreaming! What if he says no? You’ll just be disappointed.”

“Wow, how optimistic of you, geez...” Daehyun rolled his eyes. “I tried not to get my hopes up, but…” His gaze turned distant once again. “If you’d heard how he’d said it you would understand…”

Jongup rolled his eyes and booed Daehyun. “You’re gross when you’re love-struck.”

Daehyun was about to say something when his phone rang. He jumped up and grabbed it, gasping.

“It’s Yongguk,” he whispered. That was the one thing that hadn’t changed. Every time Yongguk called, Daehyun’s heart still raced.

Little did he know that Yongguk needed a mental preparation before every call.

“Hey hyung!” Daehyun said, mentally cursing himself for sounding so excited.

_“Hey Dae,”_ Yongguk said. He sounded cheerful, Daehyun knew from experience that when he sounded like that he must also be smiling.

“ _Let me get straight to the point – we’re going to Incheon.”_ Yongguk took Daehyun’s silence the wrong way. _“I mean, if you still want to…”_

But of course he did. Daehyun just needed a moment to silently scream with Jongup cheering him on just as silently.

“No, no, I’d love to!” Daehyun said once he’d composed himself.

_“Yeah, okay then,”_ Yongguk said, clearly relieved. _“We’re leaving Friday evening, that okay?”_

“That’s perfect,” Daehyun said, falling back on the bed.

_“See you tomorrow.”_

“Bye hyung.”

After squealing into a pillow that was laid in Jongup’s lap for about ten minutes, the two spent the night listening to the best indie rock love songs they could find.

After five albums by Arctic Monkeys and two more by The 1975 with little sleep until the morning, it was time for classes again.

Daehyun couldn’t get the silly smile off his face the entire day. Jongup was getting a bit tired of it but he was supportive nonetheless. The best thing was that Yongguk seemed to be picking up Daehyun’s good mood.

Daehyun got the privilege of seeing Yongguk’s smile almost the entire day.

The best thing had to be when the classes ended; Yongguk gave Daehyun a hug, complete with a kiss on the cheek and a “see you later.”

Jongup and Daehyun had saved The Killers for last, while Daehyun was packing. Well, Jongup ended up packing Daehyun’s things since he was in no condition to do it himself.

“Get yourself together. You’re supposed to be out in half an hour,” Jongup said and threw a pillow at Daehyun, who was lying on the bed.

But he didn’t react. He grabbed the pillow previously thrown at him and cuddled it. “He kissed me,” he said in a high pitched voice.

“You’re hopeless,” Jongup said, crossing his arms. “I’ve packed your stuff Daehyun. Try to collect yourself before Yongguk gets here.”

As soon as he said that, there was a knock.

Jongup sighed. “Too late now.” He went to open the door.

Yongguk waved, smiling brightly like he had the entire time they were in class that day.

“Will you have him home by nine?” Jongup joked.

Yongguk chuckled. “By nine this Sunday,” he said. He leaned to the side to look at Daehyun. “We do have to leave though, are you ready?”

Daehyun jumped up and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, just, uh… I need a moment.”

He went to the corner of the room that couldn’t be seen from the doorway. He gave Jongup a quick look, who was smiling at him reassuringly, then he caught his reflection in the nearby mirror.

This was happening. He was going to spend a weekend with Yongguk in his home. And he wouldn’t mess it up. After giving himself the silent pep talk, Daehyun grabbed the bag Jongup had prepared for him, checking once again if he had the most important things. Then he put his jacket on and gave Jongup a quick hug.

“Thank you,” he mumbled and skipped over to Yongguk.

He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but soon their hands were intertwined. And while it may have looked casual, Daehyun didn’t know that Himchan had spent half an hour convincing Yongguk to do that, after spending half an hour more reassuring him that he hadn’t made the wrong move when he’d kissed Daehyun on the cheek earlier that day.

On their way to the train station Yongguk was quiet. It was to be expected of him, but it wasn’t his usual silence – the one that either meant that he was deep in thought or that he needed to recharge.

This was more like when they were going to get coffee after taking Mrs. Dakko to the vet. He was smiling and he kept stealing glances at Daehyun as if he had something to say. But every time he would drop his gaze to their hands and then back to the ground, staying quiet.

Daehyun understood him completely. He himself was in a similar state of mind. It took him until they were aboard the train to collect himself enough to speak. Up until that point, he was afraid that if he spoke his voice would break.

“So… Your siblings won’t be home?” Daehyun asked as casually as he could.

“Nope,” Yongguk said, “Just us.”

As if they didn’t know that already, they let a moment of silence pass to let the information sink in.

“I have even more CDs and books at home,” Yongguk said, breaking the silence. “I was thinking, if you want to, we can watch some movies again. I’m pretty sure I have all of Marvel’s, even the shitty ones, from the time when DVDs were still relevant.”

Daehyun nodded. “Sounds perfect,” he said, painfully aware that he had a huge smile on his face.

“Or we could play video games, or… Anything you want.”

Daehyun just nodded.

“Are you okay?” Yongguk asked and waved his hand in front of Daehyun’s face.

“Of course!” He smiled and nodded. “I’m just a little excited.”

“You’re quiet when you’re excited? Because that’s not like you.”

Daehyun lightly shoved Yongguk. “I can be loud if you want me to. I can yell right now.” He took a deep breath and even started the scream, but Yongguk quickly clasped his hand over Daehyun’s mouth.

“Please do not scream, we’re in a public place,” he said, but he was giggling.

Daehyun raised his arms to admit defeat. Yongguk carefully let go of him, still sceptical. Daehyun could start screaming any time now…

But he didn’t. He was again looking at Yongguk with a huge smile.

“Show me pictures of Tigger again, please.”

Yongguk didn’t need to be told twice. He whipped out his phone and leaned closer, showing him once again. Every time they went through Yongguk’s camera roll, they always found some Tigger images or footage that he had not yet shown Daehyun. Newer ones showed the dog and Mrs. Dakko playing around, cuddling or sleeping together. The kitten loved to sit on Tigger’s head and, being as weak as he was, Yongguk took a picture every time that happened, which was a lot. The best part was that the three siblings had a group chat where they sent their own photos and videos of cute things the pets had done that the other two might have missed. Daehyun could only admire Yongguk’s SD card’s memory capacity.

This was how they spent the ride – ‘aww’ing at Tigger and Mrs. Dakko.

Upon arriving, Daehyun was extremely hyped to finally meet Tigger and see Mrs. Dakko again. However, once again he was given something else to think about as Yongguk took his hand. Daehyun was looking around, anywhere but Yongguk.

They took a walk through and Yongguk stopped at a bridge overlooking the centre to snap a few pictures. Daehyun stood on the side while Yongguk did his magic, which would surely later end up on instagram. Then he turned his phone towards Daehyun.

His eyes widened and he covered his face. “Take pictures of the scenery, leave me out of it!” He whined, trying desperately to hide from Yongguk’s phone, but he kept taking pictures anyway.

“Come on! I want to let my loyal followers know that we’re hanging out.”

Daehyun huffed. Yongguk was undoubtedly referring to the time when Daehyun told him about his fanbase, which the other was completely unaware of. Now it was sort of an inside joke, whenever Yongguk was about to post something in Daehyun’s presence, the ‘loyal fans’ would be mentioned.

“Your loyal fans don’t care about us hanging out. They only want to know if we’re dating.” It just flew out. Daehyun wasn’t thinking about what he was saying and he froze when he realized what exactly he had said.

Yongguk lowered his phone and frowned. “What do you mean?”

Daehyun shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and shrugged. “It’s just that… Oh, this is so stupid. People on campus, they actually approach me sometimes and ask what’s ‘the nature of our relationship’.” He tried to laugh it off.

Yongguk didn’t share this enthusiasm. Instead of chuckling along, he looked baffled. He walked over and reached out, but pulled his hand back as Daehyun’s were still in his pockets. “I’m sorry. That’s… Why should anyone give a damn?”

It was as if the air changed. Yongguk was staring at the ground, radiating frustration.

“Hey, it’s fine! You’ve made me popular, I should be thanking you.” Daehyun nudged Yongguk, trying to get him to cheer up.

He sighed and glanced up. “Are you sure it doesn’t bother you?”

The truth was that it would bother Daehyun much less if he himself knew the ‘nature of their relationship.’ But did he say it? Of course not. He wasn’t about to ruin this weekend for the both of them.

“No, no, it’s alright, I promise! I’m just too awkward, that’s all.” He smiled brightly. Yongguk was still hesitant, so Daehyun added. “If you promise to let it go, I’ll let you post some pictures of me – as long as they’re decent!”

This did it. Even if it was a bit strained, Yongguk smiled. “Fair enough.”

They stopped to pick the photos, Daehyun mostly cringing at his own appearance. Yongguk wanted to post every picture he’d taken of him – there were only a few – but Daehyun could only accept the one where pretty much all of his face was covered by his arm.

“But I like the one where you’re smiling,” Yongguk mumbled, swiping through the pictures until he reached the one he was talking about.

Daehyun chewed on his lip. The longer he looked at it the worse it got. He closed his eyes and opened them again. That way, it was actually acceptable. Not that people would stop to analyze pictures of him anyway. His arms were in the air, in one of his attempts to hide his face, but his smile could be seen as well as the look he was giving Yongguk at the moment.

“Fine, you can post it. But post both of them together and make this the second one so it’s not the first picture on display.”

Yongguk nodded. “Acceptable.”

After the pictures were posted, they made their way to Yongguk’s house.

The padding of paws and barking could be heard when they were at the door. Daehyun and Yongguk exchanged looks, both of them grinning excitedly. Upon opening the door, Yongguk immediately dropped to his knees, letting Tigger jump into his open arms.

“Teezy I’ve missed you!” He exclaimed, his usually deep voice now at least an octave higher. Daehyun didn’t even know he could do that. The sight was so heart-warming that Daehyun had to stop to admire the scene of Yongguk cuddling his dog and baby-talking to him.

Then something bumped his leg. Daehyun glanced down and gasped. Mrs. Dakko, who was much more subtle about her excitement of the two coming home, was standing by his foot. After bumping her head against Daehyun’s leg, she just sat and licked her paw as if nothing had happened.

Now Daehyun was on his knees, cuddling the kitten – although she was no longer so small to fit into his two palms – and doing the same baby-talk to her. Mrs. Dakko simply pretended that she wasn’t receiving the affection she had so subtly asked for.

For a second Yongguk and Daehyun made eye contact. They both stopped the cuddling and just stayed quiet for a moment of silence. Daehyun had no idea what Yongguk was thinking about during that brief moment, but he himself could only think, “This is the guy everyone on campus idolizes and finds scary.”

They burst out laughing.

“Let me show you around,” Yongguk said, placing Tigger down. The moment his paws touched the ground he started running around the living room, occasionally letting out an excited bark.

Daehyun placed his own fluff ball down, but before they parted ways, Mrs. Dakko licked his cheek as thanks for the cuddling provided. Daehyun couldn’t help but gasp, melting. At least he could make a kitten love him.

Yongguk was now next to him, offering his hand. He helped Daehyun up, but they parted rather quickly.

The shared bedroom was upstairs. Mrs. Dakko and Tigger followed them there, but got busy playing together in the hallway.

Yongguk and Yongnam had a bunk bed, which Daehyun found adorable; however Yongguk claimed that it was extremely difficult sharing a room with a sibling.

“If we had to share with Natasha as well, it would have been even worse,” he said, huffing.

Daehyun was studying the posters which covered one entire wall. “Was it never interesting? Or less lonely?”

Yongguk shrugged one shoulder, leaning against the doorframe. “I guess so. Having siblings is nice, but sharing a room? Not so much.”

“You didn’t get along?” Daehyun asked, voice softening as if to not upset Yongguk with the question.

“We got along much worse when we lived together. But it wasn’t _bad_ or anything.”

Daehyun nodded. “Which one is yours?”

“The bottom. Come on,” Yongguk’s small smile was an excited one, beckoning Daehyun as he climbed into his bed.

Daehyun was a bit surprised at the request, but he followed just as excitedly. What Yongguk was showing him were photos on the board above. Daehyun recalled that something similar was in Yongguk’s dorm, on the side of the wardrobe, which was by his bed. He’d learned that the photos were taken by him, and he recognized some of them from Yongguk’s instagram.

“It’s so beautiful… You’re really good at aesthetics, aren’t you?” Daehyun said, nudging the other.

He chuckled, tilting his head at his own creation. “I guess so.”

“Do you sleep here when you visit?” Daehyun asked.

“If my parents aren’t home, then I take their bed for myself. Otherwise, I sleep here.”

They both giggled, turning to look up at the display above. As they were both lying down horizontally, they also shared Yongguk’s pillow. All Daehyun had to do was move his hand a little and their hands were touching. It made them both horribly aware of how little space there was between them and they refused to look at each other, instead examining the board. They pretended not to notice anything as they moved closer, closer until their hands were intertwined and both of their hearts trying to jump out of their chest.

Both Yongguk and Daehyun were contemplating the great question of whether they should make a move, say something or simply stay like that forever. They didn’t dare make eye contact.

“I’m a bad host,” Yongguk was the first one to speak, quietly. “I never asked you if you wanted to drink something or if you were hungry.”

“I’m good,” Daehyun answered, his voice a bit more stable than Yongguk’s. “Although you have raised a very important question.”

Yongguk shifted, turning his head to look at Daehyun. “Which is?”

“Does either of us actually know how to cook?”

Yongguk burst out laughing. Daehyun was delighted to see Yongguk so relaxed. It was a rare occurrence and Daehyun was glad to be one of the people Yongguk was comfortable enough around.

“Do instant noodles count?”

“No, sorry,” Daehyun said, now looking back at him.

Was he… was he imagining or was Yongguk blushing? Daehyun blinked a few times, then looked at the other again. The red tint was still there, colouring Yongguk’s cheeks.

“Dang it… I assume microwavable food doesn’t count either?”

Daehyun shook his head, now matching Yongguk’s bright smile.

“Then I’ve lost. But what about you? Don’t take it the wrong way, but I don’t see you as a culinary expert,” Yongguk said in a teasing tone.

Daehyun nudged his shoulder. “Not an expert, but I can cook! Basic things… I can make tamagoyaki and perhaps something to go with the noodles you can make, like boiled eggs or chicken… And my mom has taught me to make rice cakes, so there! At least we’re not doomed to take-out.”

“Don’t be a show-off,” Yongguk said, suddenly all pouty.

For reasons completely unknown, Daehyun couldn’t look away from Yongguk’s lips. Not while he was pouting like that.

“Besides,” Yongguk spoke again and Daehyun’s gaze snapped up. “It’s not so much _what_ we make, the bigger concern is not messing up the kitchen in any way. No one messes up my mom’s kitchen and gets out alive.”

Yongguk yet again pouted, this time in thought, and Daehyun’s heart made a back flip in his chest.

“Come to think of it, since that’s the case I shouldn’t let you in the kitchen at all, even if it dooms us to instant noodles and take-out for two days.”

Daehyun yet again nudged Yongguk, a bit harder this time. “Don’t be a prick! I’m not _that_ bad...”

Yongguk laughed; the light, bubbly sound made Daehyun’s heart jump as much as his pout had. “I’m kidding! It’ll be fun trying not to fuck anything up.” He grinned.

Tigger suddenly started barking, and it got louder as well as the sound of approaching paws. Yongguk gasped and sat up so quickly that he almost hit his head on the board above. Because Mrs. Dakko was once again on Tigger’s head and Yongguk yet again had to capture it. This was the moment when he let go of Daehyun’s hand in order to take his phone, and it did make Daehyun a bit sad but he was also thrilled to witness the puppy-kitten friendship.

“They’re adorable!” he said, melting.

“I love them so much,” Yongguk spoke softly, snapping many pictures.

Mrs. Dakko hopped off of Tigger’s head and onto the bed, squeezing between Yongguk and Daehyun’s thighs. They both ‘awww’ed at her, petting her gently.

Feeling the lack of attention, Tigger tried to hop on as well.

“They shouldn’t be allowed on the bed,” Yongguk informed while lifting Tigger up and into his lap.

“So, you really _are_ a bad boy who breaks a lot of rules?” Daehyun teased.

Yongguk glanced down, shaking his head. “I’m afraid not… I’m just a loser who loves his pets too much.” He pulled Tigger into a hug. The dog must have been used to this kind of attention because he made little to no effort to break away, but he did seem a bit restless and kept trying to lick Yongguk’s cheek.

Mrs. Dakko only purred contently at Daehyun’s petting, not daring to seek more affection. Daehyun decided to try something, although he was quite positive it would work since they’d done it before, when Mrs. Dakko was much smaller. He picked her up and placed her on his head. He had to duck a bit for it to work, since the top bed was a bit low, but he managed.

It made Yongguk smile brightly and he was immediately grabbing his phone to capture the moment. “I have to, it’s too adorable. Please?”

“Oh, fine...” Daehyun knew nothing about angles or how to make himself look decent on a picture, but at this point he trusted Yongguk. He only hid his face up to his lips, although Yongguk had gotten a few pictures without Daehyun’s hand in the way.

“Why do you keep taking pictures of me?” Daehyun asked as they were once again looking at Yongguk’s phone to choose pictures for instagram. Mrs. Dakko was now on Daehyun’s shoulder rather than his head, which was a more comfortable position for both of them. Tigger, on the other hand, kept shuffling in Yongguk’s lap, occasionally barking to which Mrs. Dakko would reply with a meow.

Yongguk shrugged one shoulder, seemingly concentrating even more on the task of filtering the photos.

“I guess because you’re natural. It’s something photographers constantly look for in their models. You can’t artificially recreate happiness; you have to have someone who genuinely is happy. Capture that, and it’s something truly beautiful.” He paused.

This much was enough to stun Daehyun, but there was more. “Don’t take it the wrong way, but it’s not your looks that make you beautiful in this context.”

“But you do think I’m handsome?” Daehyun teased, mostly to ease the tension. Or was he the only one who felt the tension? Because receiving compliments wasn’t something he was used to, other than from Jongup which was also a rare occurrence since he didn’t like purposely putting Daehyun into awkward situations.

Yongguk did not answer. He only bowed his head, his curls getting into his eyes and covering his red cheeks.

This somehow also made Daehyun blush. It didn’t mean anything, he told himself. It didn’t mean anything.

Both cuddled up with a fluff ball, they took a little break. Somewhere along the way they’d leaned on each other, while each of them scrolled on their own phone.

Daehyun knew he shouldn’t but it was too tempting. Even as Jongup’s words, “Don’t do this to yourself,” echoed in his head, Daehyun didn’t resist. He went under Yongguk’s most recent post and read the comments.

‘ok but who is this guy?’

‘anyone notice how this kid is the only one who appears on bbang’s account? other than chanie sometimes’

‘so are they like a thing or..?’

‘where did this guy even come from lmao stay away from gukkie!!!’

‘@xxx your spot’s been taken this nerd beat you better start looking for another boyfriend’

‘sooo does this guy think hell become the next big thing cause hes hanging out with yongguk? what an attention whore’

It wasn’t that this bothered Daehyun. They were just stupid comments by people who didn’t matter. As he’d learned, Yongguk never even read his comments unless it was one of his friends who tagged him.

He’d told Daehyun about how he used to waste his life on instagram and care so much about everyone and everything. That was the time when he’d become so popular, but after uninstalling the app for a few months, he’d become less addicted to it. Now he didn’t care as much and only had fun with it. And Yongguk had little to no fucks to give about what went on on instagram

Daehyun wasn’t so fortunate. He wasn’t addicted, but he definitely cared a bit too much.

No, this didn’t bother him. It just made his chest tighten uncomfortably, made his mood drop and brought tears to his eyes. But it was nothing, because those were just stupid comments.

He shouldn’t have looked. He should have listened to Jongup.

But it was fine.

“Are you okay?”

Daehyun jolted, almost hitting Yongguk and tossing Mrs. Dakko of his shoulder in the process.

“Huh? Yeah, of course!” Daehyun gave a bright smile, hoping it would fool Yongguk.

It did not. Yongguk reached out but change his mind halfway and lowered his hand to pat Tigger instead. “Then what’re your eyes misty for?”

“They’re not,” was all Daehyun could say, quite stupidly so.

Yongguk frowned and threw a glance at Daehyun’s phone. “Wait, what are you even…?”

Before Yongguk could be sure what he saw, Daehyun closed the app and smiled at him.

Yongguk watched Daehyun for a little while, in such a way that melted Daehyun’s already unsure smile away.

“This is about the instagram thing, isn’t it?”

Daehyun laughed nervously. “I swear you’re a mind reader or something.”

“I knew it wasn’t okay. I knew you were lying.”

Daehyun glanced down, biting his lip. “I wasn’t lying. It’s really not a big deal. I mean, it’s social media, people will always be jerks online, right? It shouldn’t matter to me, it’s just…” He trailed off, realizing that Yongguk likely wasn’t listening. And when he glanced up, Daehyun realized he was right. He had never regretted being right so much.

Yongguk was reading those damned comments, his frown deepening by the second. “I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“No, no, it’s not a big deal, really!” Daehyun tried.

Yongguk ended up tossing his phone on the bed and it bounced off, onto the ground. This reaction startled Daehyun and he went silent. Yongguk hugged Tigger, looking both angry and crushed.

“Hyung, it’s fine,” Daehyun said once he found his voice.

Tigger started squirming in Yongguk's arms and he let the impatient puppy go. He sighed, resting his chin on his knees in such a way that made his cheeks squish up.

“I’m sorry, that was stupid of me. I’m just upset cause—you don’t deserve this and it’s all my fault. My fault because I can’t keep anything to myself,” Daehyun would have argued that Yongguk might keep too much to himself, but it wasn’t the time, “I just wanted to—I don’t fucking know, I wanted everyone to know you’re my friend and I wanted others to see you like I do. But it turned out the complete opposite… I’m sorry.”

There it was again, the proclamation that they were friends. Daehyun brushed it off yet again, “Hey, it’s not your fault people are jerks. They’re just jealous.”

In that moment he realized the meaning of that sentence; people were jealous of him? It was so absurd that it made him laugh. “As crazy as that sounds… But that’s the point; they don’t even know what they’re jealous of. They want you, not your company, not to be your friend, they just want to have you. They think I have you and that’s why they’re jealous. Which isn’t the case at all...”

Yongguk huffed, staring ahead. “I don’t _care_ what others think of me, I don’t give a damn what they write in the comments or what they expect of me, I couldn’t care less. But I absolutely can’t stand anyone insulting my friends.”

“You know, if this keeps up Himchan's spot of your best friend might become endangered,” Daehyun blurted out. He knew it was petty. He knew he should have been happy for having gotten this close to Yongguk at all, that the older had opened up to him and grouped him up with his few good friends. He shouldn’t have been salty just because of a crush.

“I—What?”

“Well, you keep saying that, so…” Daehyun trailed off, having no good excuse that wouldn’t also out his crush on Yongguk.

“You know, when you have a few friends, like me, it’s not difficult to be very close with all of them. So I don’t necessarily have to have a single best friend.”

“Yeah, but that’s not it.” Daehyun regretted saying it as soon as he did. Why couldn’t he for once just shut the hell up? Damn, it was like he _wanted_ Yongguk to find out and reject him.

“Then what is it?” Yongguk unfolded from his position of hugging his knees. Instead he sat with his foot tucked under his thigh. He was looking at Daehyun steadily and it made the other look away.

“Forget it.”

“I can’t forget it. I know it’s stupid to dumb it down like this, but you basically said that you don’t want to be my friend. It’s silly, but I can’t let that go.”

“I guess I did say that…”

“Then tell me what’s wrong.”

Daehyun felt like he was going to lose it. He ran a hand through his hair in distress. Mrs. Dakko hopped off of his shoulder and looked at him judgingly. ‘I don’t want to pick up your bad vibes,’ she seemed to be saying. Or Daehyun was just going crazy. Either way, she shuffled off to the corner and sat there, watching them.

Even Tigger had settled down, his head rested on Yongguk’s thigh, blinking up with curious eyes at the two.

“Oh, no, nothing’s _wrong_. When you exclude the fact that my crush keeps calling me his friend, thereby destroying any chances I may or may not have ever had with him – everything’s fine.”

Tigger barked. Mrs. Dakko stared at Daehyun as if to say, ‘Man, chill.’

He took a deep breath. Yongguk was silent and Daehyun was terrified of what he might say.

They were in Incheon. They were an hour away from Seoul. They weren’t in Himchan and Yongguk’s shared dorm room from which Daehyun could easily escape to his own. They were in Incheon and if Daehyun had said the wrong thing – which he definitely had – this weekend would either become extremely uncomfortable, or he would have to find a night train home.

And then die in a ditch.

Alright, perhaps that was too dramatic.

But Yongguk still wasn’t speaking and Daehyun felt like his soul was going to leave his body.

“You have a crush on me?”

Daehyun stared at Yongguk. He stared at a timid smile and flushed cheeks and eyes like crescents. What the hell was going on?

“Yeah, I—Isn’t that what I _just_ said?”

Tigger barked. Yongguk let himself fall forward like a timber and his face ended up in Daehyun’s lap. Then he giggled, while Daehyun only stared at him. Tigger kept barking, and soon Mrs. Dakko mewed to shush him.

“What’s with you?” Daehyun whined, feeling the heat rush to his face. He didn’t know what was worse; the fact that Yongguk’s reaction was unreadable to him or that his head was in his lap. But Daehyun had to face the facts here; he was probably just being mocked.

At least Yongguk didn’t kick him out, so that meant something, right…?

Yongguk ended up giggling for a while longer before he sat back up, his entire face red and eyes bright. “Okay so… You’re not gonna believe this. I’ve actually been calling you a friend all this time cause—” he suddenly seemed more uncomfortable, rather than amused, “—well, I actually had no idea how to address the situation, cause I’m crushing on you too and I had no idea how to act since I am definitely not the one to flirt or anything like that so…” He said it all in one breath and hid his face when he finished.

It was Daehyun’s turn to burst out laughing. “You absolute _dork_! There are thousands of people who think you’re some smooth fucker and you couldn’t even—I mean _me_? I am so easy to impress! You literally don’t have to do anything and I’m swooning!”

Yongguk shrugged sheepishly. Daehyun leaned forward and rested his forehead against Yongguk’s shoulder while giggling.

When they both settled down it took them another moment to realize what this actually meant. Daehyun, as cliché as it was to think that, had been convinced that Yongguk was friend-zoning him. He thought he had no chances, even after learning that Yongguk did in fact like guys. Because why would it be _him_ , of all?

But it was. If he could trust Yongguk’s words which he could. This situation didn’t exactly seem like a prank, neither did Yongguk’s reaction to Daehyun’s confession.

So what did all of this mean for them?

It meant that Yongguk could rest his head on Daehyun’s shoulder and wrap his arms around his waist without worrying that Daehyun might take it the wrong way. It meant that Daehyun could play with Yongguk’s curls without asking or being afraid that the other would move away.

“Do you think they knew?” Daehyun asked.

Yongguk looked up. “Himchan and Jongup?”

Daehyun nodded. Yongguk narrowed his eyes in thought. “Maybe… No, they did. They definitely did. At least Himchan did. He was way too positive about it all, and very interested in it. I know he’d support me no matter what, but he somehow really wanted this, us, to work out.”

“Come to think of it, Jongup had a similar approach to it. Gukkie, they conspired behind our backs,” Daehyun decided.

“I’ll kick his ass,” Yongguk said, huffing. “Why hasn’t he told me anything, that dumbass!? Instead he left me here to agonize over whether you just wanted to chill or become popular through me, or something…”

“I think they wanted us to figure it out on our own. Playing matchmakers rarely ever turns out well.” Suddenly Daehyun stopped playing with Yongguk’s hair and pulled away to be able to look at him properly. “Wait a second – ‘become popular through me’?”

Yongguk shrugged. “I was paranoid,” he said, losing his voice all of a sudden. “I thought you’d never like me back and I guess in really low moments I thought you were just using me…”

Daehyun blinked. “You know I’m not a mastermind, when would I ever think of such a plan?”

Yongguk shrugged, smiling weakly. “I told you, I was paranoid.”

Daehyun shook his head and pulled Yongguk closer, squishing him into a tight hug. “I really, really like you and I would never do such a thing to you, okay?”

Yongguk nodded, nuzzling into Daehyun.

“Hyung,” Daehyun called, interrupting Yongguk’s nuzzling.

He just looked up.

“I’m hungry.”

Yongguk giggled, pulling away and rubbing his eyes. “So, what’s it gonna be? Your cooking or mine?”

“Take-out?” Daehyun suggested.

“Take-out.”

While waiting, Yongguk played some CD, a band Daehyun didn’t know but sounded amazing. Or maybe everything sounded great in such a situation, even the weird mixture of rap and rock.

Yongguk was yelling the lyrics, nailing the rap parts just a bit better than the singing parts, but only because his voice was significantly deeper than the original singer’s. Meanwhile Daehyun laughed, applauded and danced. Yongguk’s dancing wasn’t the best, but Daehyun still invited him to the dance floor – which was the couch.

For once, Yongguk wasn’t worried if they’d break something or if his parents would be angry at him. It didn’t matter anyway. What mattered was that he was with Daehyun and while they were together, jumping hand in hand and singing at the top of their lungs, the usual heaviness was completely gone from Yongguk’s chest.

At some point Daehyun got a bit overexcited and tripped, knocking Yongguk over since they were holding onto each other. As they fell back on the couch, Daehyun’s knee miraculously ended up between Yongguk’s legs.

The older let out a series of curses, his cheeks turning red.

Daehyun was laughing hysterically, although a little embarrassed himself as the one who’d caused the problem. “Are you okay?” He asked through fits of giggles.

“Yeah, yeah… My dignity isn’t.”

Daehyun laughed harder. He’d been holding himself up up until that point, but his arms gave out and he fell against Yongguk, possibly making everything worse for the poor guy. Daehyun was laughing so hard he ended up hiccupping.

Yongguk whined. “I hate you.”

The doorbell rang. Yongguk felt like he’d die.

“I’ll get it,” Daehyun hummed and stood up quickly. “You’ll be okay without me?”

“At the moment I’m better off without you,” Yongguk mumbled.

Daehyun burst out laughing yet again. He barely made it to the door because he kept stumbling. The delivery guy gave him a weird look while he was receiving his tip, since Daehyun was laughing like crazy and it looked like he was alone even though he wasn’t. It must have looked like he was on some serious drugs.

If only. Daehyun didn’t need drugs to act that way, it was just his personality.

And, well, funny situations.

Daehyun took it upon himself to go to the kitchen and serve the food, so they at least didn’t eat out of the cardboard containers. When that was done he skipped over to the living room, grinning at the sight of Yongguk.

He was curled up in the corner of the couch his entire face red, but he seemed to be breathing normally at least.

Daehyun sat on the opposite armrest. “You doing okay?”

“Better,” Yongguk mumbled.

“I never knew I was that hot.”

Yongguk flung a pillow at Daehyun.

He caught it and threw it back. “Stop sulking, let’s go eat.”

Yongguk hugged the pillow for a second before he decided he was feeling well enough to follow Daehyun into the kitchen.

“I’ll get back at you,” he announced, sitting down not-so-gracefully.

Daehyun grinned and hopped onto the table, munching on his sweet and sour chicken. Not that the threat got to him or anything, but his face did become red.

“Come on hyung, no _hard_ feelings, right?”

Yongguk almost dropped his chopsticks, his cheeks just as red as Daehyun’s. “I swear to God—”

Before he could continue the threat, Daehyun leaned in and pecked his forehead. “I’m just messing with you. It’s cute when you get all worked up.”

Yongguk immediately melted, his shoulders dropped and he glanced down at his plate.

“You know my parents wouldn’t like to see anyone sitting on the dining table,” he mumbled, maybe to change the subject.

Daehyun raised his eyebrows. “I can always sit in your lap.”

It was insane how confident Daehyun felt just because Yongguk slipped up once. Or maybe it was because they’d become very comfortable with each other and both of them knew they were safe.

Yongguk sighed, shaking his head. “Are you _trying_ to kill me?”

“Stop being so cute and I’ll stop teasing you.”

“I’m starting to question everything I know about you.”

Daehyun grinned. “Well, you have to get to know me before I can become weird. Besides, I’m learning new things about you as well. All the time, in fact.”

Yongguk smiled, looking away again. “I might just let you get to know me.”

Daehyun felt something he couldn’t quite explain. He was happy, there was this odd bubbly feeling in his chest – and Yongguk was in the centre of it all. Daehyun was just so proud – that was it, there was the word he’d been looking for – proud of himself for getting this far with Yongguk and proud of Yongguk for opening up, slowly but surely.

After dinner Yongguk and Daehyun went back upstairs to cuddle with Tigger and Mrs. Dakko, but also with each other. Yongguk needed a reminder to take his meds, but he didn’t complain like the first time. He did it quickly so that he could return to cuddling Daehyun as soon as possible.

“So,” Daehyun began. He was leaning against the wall with Yongguk’s head in his lap. Mrs. Dakko was asleep on Daehyun’s shoulder while Tigger was on Yongguk’s chest. Daehyun was playing with Yongguk’s hair, while the other had his eyes closed, just resting.

“I’m sorry, I really don’t want to seem annoying but… I kind of need closure. If I’m not your friend, what am I? What… are we?”

Yongguk kept his eyes closed. “I don’t know. What do you want us to be?”

Daehyun leaned over, purposely getting into Yongguk’s face to get his attention.

“Can I be completely honest without freaking you out? Cause I don’t know what you’re comfortable with so—”

Yongguk opened his eyes and pecked Daehyun’s nose. “Just say it.”

Daehyun blushed. “I w-wanna be with you. I want to be your boyfriend. I’m – fuck – I don’t know—” He was cut off in the best possible way. It seemed like something that only happens in movies or dramas.

Yongguk tangled his fingers in Daehyun’s hair and pulled him into a kiss. Daehyun couldn’t move too much because then Mrs. Dakko and Tigger would suffer the consequences. And also because he had no idea how to react, leaving Yongguk to do all the work.

Yongguk couldn’t exactly handle it either so he pulled away sooner than he intended, glancing to the side.

Daehyun carefully scooped Mrs. Dakko up in his arms and Yongguk did the same with Tigger. They took the sleeping fluff balls to their bed – Yongguk had told Daehyun how even though they had their separate beds, they liked to share – and placed them down together.

They went back to the bottom bunk bed and cuddled up together. It occurred to Daehyun that they used to do this even before, only they were both a bit anxious and confused. They no longer felt that way. Yongguk curled up into Daehyun without hesitation and clung onto him.

“Hyung?” Daehyun mumbled.

Yongguk looked up.

“Can you do the thing again?”

“What thing?”

“… Kiss me.”

Yongguk grinned and did as Daehyun asked, pulling him in and kissing him softly. This time Daehyun wasn’t as frozen up, though he was still timid.

Yongguk pulled away, smiling faintly. “I’m really thankful for you, you know.”

Daehyun tilted his head. “Thankful?”

“Yeah. I’ve been a lot better ever since I met you. I don’t – even know how, but I’ve stopped bottling everything up and around you I just feel better. You’re really bright and kind, kind of like – an energy source. I don’t know if that makes sense…”

Daehyun pecked Yongguk’s cheek. “I understand. You have no idea how happy I am that I’ve managed that.”

“I hope I won’t suffocate you,” he mumbled.

“Never,” Daehyun assured, holding him closer. “You’ve helped me grow too and you’ve never drained me. I never felt like I was obliged to fix you. But I’m glad I could help.”

Yongguk sighed and he seemed relieved more than anything. Maybe he would think about how lucky he’d gotten if he wasn’t too busy thinking about how he would have to make an effort to keep Daehyun and not hurt him accidentally.

As if reading his mind, Daehyun spoke up, quietly and reassuringly, “Stop worrying. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Yongguk tried to pretend to be sulking, but Daehyun foiled his plans by kissing his forehead.

“Sleep, hyung,” he whispered.

Yongguk didn’t need to be told twice. He was slowly getting knocked out anyway.

As for Daehyun, he was just so relieved to be the one Yongguk felt safe around and he was happy to be the one who gets to hold Yongguk while he falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this didn't suck.
> 
> If anyone wants to request or just talk, my tumblr is: @vai-should-be-quiet


	5. Epilogue

Tigger’s barking woke them up.

Yongguk was confused because neither the puppy nor the kitten were anywhere to be seen. Above all, there was a voice from downstairs.

Yongguk shuffled in Daehyun’s arms, frowning.

Daehyun whined quietly, pulling Yongguk back down. That may have been the first time he was revealing his clingy nature – not that Yongguk minded. At the moment, however, there was a more pressing matter.

“Dae, you gotta let me go. We’ll cuddle later, I promise.”

Daehyun only whined again.

Yongguk stood up, getting a bit dizzy at first. He leaned over and kissed Daehyun’s forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

Daehyun hummed in response. It was clear that he wasn’t ready for normal human interactions yet, it was too early.

Yongguk smiled. He turned away and went out the room and downstairs, to investigate.

What he saw downstairs made him groan and roll his eyes.

“You _promised_!”

Natasha, who was sitting on the ground with Mrs. Dakko on her head and Tigger in her lap, just shrugged.

“Yongnam mentioned you’d be trying to snatch yourself a boyfriend. I couldn’t miss that. Where is he?”

Dread was slowly taking over. Thankfully, Daehyun was still upstairs, unable to form coherent sentences. “Get out,” Yongguk said, though non-threateningly.

“His name’s Daehyun, right?”

“No.”

“ _Daehyun!_ ”

Yongguk’s eyes widened. “Shut up!”

“Daehyunah!” Natasha kept calling.

Footsteps could be heard and Yongguk sighed in defeat, burying his face in his hands. Daehyun appeared behind him on the stairs and rested his chin on Yongguk’s shoulder.

“What’s up?”

Natasha smiled brightly and waved, “Hi! I’m Natasha, Yongguk’s sister. It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you!”

Daehyun blinked. “You have?” He was so tired he forgot to formally introduce himself, but since Natasha seemed to know him already, was it necessary? (Yes, it was, but Daehyun couldn’t think at the moment.)

“Yah, Gukkie talks about you all the time.”

It took Daehyun a moment to realize that Yongguk was repeatedly whispering “shut up.” To reassure him, Daehyun wrapped his arms around Yongguk’s waist. It seemed to work since he stopped chanting.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Daehyun said, smiling.

Natasha gave Yongguk a look, her smile seemed malicious. He kept blushing, glaring at her.

“Don’t you have places to be?”

“Currently, this is the place where I need to be. I wanted to visit my babies.” As she said this, her voice got a bit higher. She lifted Mrs. Dakko off her head and cuddled her, while the kitten mewed. Tigger was barking and squealing sadly because of the lack of attention.

Daehyun went all the way down the stairs and walked over, picking up the sad puppy. He sat beside Natasha on the ground, cuddling Tigger to his chest. “Don’t be sad, I love you!”

Yongguk sat a bit further from them, watching them baby-talk to the animals for a while, just like Daehyun and Yongguk had when they’d first entered the house.

It went on until Daehyun said, “You’re really pretty,” to Natasha.

Yongguk snorted. “Don’t inflate her ego.”

“But she is!” Daehyun complained.

“But I am!” Natasha agreed.

“And I also love your tattoos,” Daehyun added.

She grinned. “Thanks! I’m on my way to becoming a tattoo artist. Our parents aren’t happy. Yongguk’s asked me to make him one. They’re not happy about that either.”

Daehyun glanced at Yongguk curiously, imagining how he would look with a tattoo – or a few. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

Yongguk coughed. “Tasha, since you’re here, go make us some breakfast. Don’t be useless.”

She lightly smacked Yongguk, but went to do it anyway.

“You owe me,” she threatened as she handed him Mrs. Dakko. Yongguk stuck out his tongue at her and she flipped him off.

“She wasn’t supposed to come here,” he said, lying down on the carpet and letting Mrs. Dakko walk over his chest.

“I like her.”

Yongguk huffed and stared at the ceiling.

Daehyun leaned over and placed Tigger on Yongguk’s chest as well. “I am not going to cheat on you with your sister.”

“I didn’t say you would.”

“But?”

Yongguk sighed. “She just knows how to grab people’s attention…”

Daehyun tilted his head. “So, your plan was to never introduce me to her? I suppose then I won’t be able to meet your brother either, because you’re identical twins and I already think you’re stunningly handsome? You’ll be scared I’ll find him more beautiful than you?”

Yongguk was now laughing, shaking his head. “No… That’s not what I thought. But I am more handsome than Yongnam.”

Daehyun nudged him. They both laughed until Natasha called for Yongguk from the kitchen. Daehyun took over Tigger and Mrs. Dakko to let him stand up.

He sat on the counter and looked around. “What did you need help with?”

“Nothing. Close the door.”

Yongguk frowned but didn’t question it, he just obliged. “You’re going to lecture me…?”

It didn’t seem so. Natasha was smiling. “I like him. I like that you like him and that he likes you back.”

Yongguk paused, trying to make sense of her words. “I don’t need your blessing,” he said at last.

“But you have it. You know I wouldn’t let you date someone who’s bad for you.”

“You don’t even know him.”

Natasha gave him a look. “No offence, but I’m a bit better at people and reading them than you are.”

Yongguk’s shoulders dropped. “Fine…”

“Are you gonna tell mom and dad?”

It felt as if the question was a brick that hit him in the face. He stiffened, staring ahead. “Will they disown me?”

“They didn’t disown me when I got tattoos and they didn’t disown you when they found out.”

Yongguk huffed. “They didn’t _find out_ anything, they _assumed_.”

“Yah, but they assumed correctly,” she pointed out.

He sighed, but stayed quiet otherwise.

“I think you should tell them. You’re more or less independent so even if they blow up you’ll be fine. You have us, you have Daehyun, Himchan, Junhong... You’ll be fine whatever happens.”

Yongguk nodded. He was never more relieved to have his sister by his side and suddenly he didn’t want her to leave. “Fine… I’ll do it next time.”

“I’ll make sure to be there. I can talk to them before head, if you want.”

Yongguk shook his head. “Thank you, but no. Just make sure it’s all five of us.”

“You’ve got it.” She winked. “I think we’re done here. Daehyunah!”

He was at the door soon, holding both Tigger and Mrs. Dakko in his arms. “Yeah?”

“Breakfast’s ready,” Natasha announced.

Daehyun put the two fluffs down and went to wash his hands before sitting down to eat.

“Will you be staying?” Daehyun asked.

Natasha shook her head. “I’ve got some business to attend to. And I think Guk doesn’t want me here,” she teased.

Yongguk just shrugged.

“Then I’m looking forward to seeing you again,” Daehyun said with a smile.

She was gone after they’d eaten. Yongguk suggested watching a movie and Daehyun agreed.

“But first, I have to call Jongup.”

Yongguk raised his eyebrow.

“Gotta tell him the news. Seriously, we got together and you think I’m _not_ going to scream about it to my best friend?”

Yongguk chuckled. “Come to think of it, I should probably call Himchan and tell him what happened. Just close the door.” He grinned.

Daehyun nudged him and grabbed his phone. “I’ll be right back.” With that, he ran upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read and stuck with this story. Even if I wasn't planning on it having more than two parts, thank you to everyone who asked for more.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented, it was very encouraging.
> 
> If anyone wants to request or just talk, my tumblr is: @vai-should-be-quiet


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